


Dancing with Hades

by HereKittyKitty



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Difficult Decisions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Humor, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Making Out, Panic Attacks, Past Rape/Non-con, Rape Recovery, Revenge, Self Confidence Issues, Strong Female Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:08:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 59,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25276654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HereKittyKitty/pseuds/HereKittyKitty
Summary: Hades hosts an annual gala for charity and Persephone decides to perform a song aimed at Apollo.  Her friends are there to support her but will she and Hades discover what there is between them along the way or will her choices turn against her?
Relationships: Eros/Psyche (Lore Olympus), Hades & Persephone (Lore Olympus), Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus)
Comments: 77
Kudos: 206





	1. Prep

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any rights to Lore Olympus. That honor goes to the talented Rachel Smythe. I don't own any rights to the song Lemons. That honor goes to Brye Sebring. 
> 
> Content warning: This story deals with Persephone moving on with her life after Apollo assaults and continues to approach her. There will be discussions that allude to her assault having occurred and possibly some verbal and physical altercations about Apollo's behavior. Do not read this story if you are sensitive to this topic or fear you may be triggered by it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persephone, Eros, and Psyche prepare for the gala. Hades and Persephone take steps forward in their relationship.
> 
> Persephone's dress: https://bit.ly/2OTPZ7p  
> Psyche's dress: https://bit.ly/39tCfcQ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any rights to Lore Olympus. That honor goes to the talented Rachel Smythe. I don't own any rights to the song Lemons. That honor goes to Brye Sebring.
> 
> Content warning: This story deals with Persephone moving on with her life after Apollo assaults and continues to approach her. There will be discussions that allude to her assault having occurred and possibly some verbal and physical altercations about Apollo's behavior. Do not read this story if you are sensitive to this topic or fear you may be triggered by it.

Persephone bounced out of Tower 1 with a sweet sigh and hurried down the street to meet Eros and Psyche for dinner and drinks on a Friday afternoon. Spying her friends, she could tell right away that Eros was keeping a secret from her because his feathers were fluffed out and his eyes were dilated. Plus, he didn’t usually swivel around in his chair like he was doing as she approached the couple.

“Oh, my gods, where have you been!?! How long does it take to walk down the road, Cinnamon?” He demanded of his friend as soon as she had her hand on her chair.

“Uh, I’m right on time, a minute early even, Eros. What is going on with you?” Persephone laughed and smiled at Psyche who rolled her eyes playfully and patted Eros on his shoulder.

“Ugh, fine, whatever! I have news and a suuuuuper splendid idea, Pinky!” Eros sat up in his chair and took a deep breath, his wings quivering with excitement. “Next month is the Tri-Realm Gala. Everyone and I mean ev-er-ee-one is going to be there!” He looked pointedly at Persephone and put his chin on his hands while bouncing his knees.

“That sounds…lovely. Are you asking me if I can get you tickets because I work at Underworld…” Persephone was cut off before she could finish her thought.

“What, no! Baby Girl, listen, it’s a gala. That means that there will be performances throughout the night. Lots of booze. Lots of delicious food. Lots of gods and goddesses mingling. They’re there to see and be seen. It’s the biggest event of the fall season so Apollo will be there for sure. I say we put together an act that takes him down about a dozen pegs. Rub your hatred for him right in his face and do it directly in front of everyone he knows. Only we will know it’s about him, but he will know, and he will haaate it.” Eros continued to bounce and wiggle with pure glee with his idea. Persephone, however, looked taken aback and frightened as she chewed on a fingernail.

Psyche saw her friend’s discomfort and leaned toward her, reaching a hand to her from across the table. Persephone took it and held on while she listened. “I know you don’t like the sort of attention Eros is describing. I wouldn’t want that either, but this is…this is different. To everyone else, it would just be us singing a song at the fundraiser event. You wouldn’t be making a fuss at all in their eyes, but to him, to Apollo, you’ll be burning bridges forever. Plus, you’ll raise money when people donate for liking your performance. That’s part of the fun of the gala itself. The better the act, the more money the crowd donates. It’s a fundraiser for women and kids who need help starting over in their lives—I can’t think of another event more appropriate for you to do this.” She squeezed Persephone’s hand and gave her an encouraging smile. “I think you should do it. If you want! Of course, only if you want! We’re not going to try and twist your arm, are we, Eros?” Psyche looked pointedly at Eros when she said this, but he was already nodding his head and agreeing with his lover. Eros was easily excitable and giddy at times but always respectful. It was one of the things that was easy to love about him.

“Pinky, you deserve to get a piece of payback and a way to tell him flat out to take a hike. You talking, avoiding, and screaming hasn’t done it. Me shooting arrows at him and threatening him hasn’t done it. Let’s try something else. What do you say?” Eros was all support and no play now. 

Persephone thought for the hundredth time since meeting him that Eros was a blessing as a friend. “If I do this, can I pick a song to sing?” Eros and Psyche squealed and clapped their hands in celebration.

“Cinnamon Roll, you can pick everything about this. It’s your night! Plus, Psyche and I will be buying your dress as a thank you for helping us find each other again. No arguments!”

Six weeks of planning, shopping trips, and rehearsals had flown by and suddenly it was the week of the gala. Visiting with her after a department status meeting on Monday, Hades had learned of her plan to travel all the way to Eros’ home in Olympus to get dressed after work. He'd insisted she and her friends use a room in his house instead. 

“You’ll waste hours just traveling from the Underworld to there and back again if you do all that. Besides, there’s always a long waiting line at the border checkpoint whenever we have events like this. It’s just going to slow you down. Please, do me the honor of using my home.”

“Hmm, do you generally invite your interns to dress themselves in your home?” Persephone teased back to Hades with a sly grin on her face.

Hades knew she didn’t fully appreciate the depth of her joke, and it endeared her to him even more. He sighed and took a deep breath before sadly saying, “Well, no, of course not. But I hate to think how sad the dogs will be if they don’t get to see you dressed up for mmm-th-them, them, for them.” He’d smiled so sweetly that she’d agreed right away. 

If she was honest with herself, she’d been thrilled with the idea of being with him in his home again, even if it would only be for a short while. Now seated at her desk in the library, having almost finished the regular half-day for a Saturday, Persephone was surprised to see Hades approaching her desk. She smiled at him as she finished clearing her desk and set her purse on the floor beside her. He laughed softly and her toes wiggled at the sound of it. 

“I was thinking we could grab a bite before heading to meet your friends.” He had crouched down on the opposite side of her desk and was holding onto its edge with his fingertips. “I’m sure Eros will attack you with beautiful lady products the minute he sees you. I’ve been around my great-nephew enough over the decades to know you’ll need your strength to keep up with his level of hyperactivity.” He looked too much like an eager puppy to resist, not that Persephone would want to try. 

It had been two days since her birthday and visiting the bank with him. ...two days since she found out he wasn’t dating Minthe anymore. She wasn’t sure where she stood with him anymore but the mood between them felt more relaxed. 

“Promise it’ll be more than Hera’s idea of a vegetarian meal?” she scrunched her nose and smiled making Hades laugh again.

“I’m confident I can offer something more satisfying than three lettuce leaves, Miss Kore.” Hades winked at her as she put on her coat and purse. He rose to his full height and offered her his arm, adding, “Maybe we could find something amazing for you. Maybe they’ll serve two types of lettuce!” He didn’t try to dodge her when she playfully hit him.

“Fifty percent, Hades!” She laughed and they continued chatting and teasing as they walked to a nearby sushi bar.

“I’ve been here several times, Kore. They’re always super quick and I’ve seen pictures of the vegetarian options in their menu. They’re packed with proteins and grains, not a leaf of lettuce in sight.” He winked at her again as he opened the door for her.  
“Thank you so much for thinking of me. I’m sure this is perfect.” Persephone followed Hades as he approached the open seating available at the bar. She took a menu from in front of her and decided on a delicious looking bowl with avocado, mango, and sticky rice. She ordered her dish along with a glass of iced tea.

“I’ll have the sushi roll special and a side salad with the carrot ginger dressing as well as water.” Hades smiled at Persephone as the bar server walked away. “So, Little Goddess, tell me what made you decide to perform at tonight’s gala? I have to admit I was surprised when I saw your name on the line up.”

Persephone’s cheeks flushed a deep magenta and she hid a shy smile behind her drink as she sipped it. “Hmm, well, it was actually Eros’ idea for me to do this.” When Hades eyebrows gathered a bit in confusion at this, she scrambled for a way to keep her cards close to the vest. “I mean, I’ve never been big on public displays like this, but I like the idea of supporting women who have had difficulties in their lives. Eros has a way of boosting my confidence to all-time highs. With his help, I knew I could do this. I needed to prove it to myself that I could, really.” She paused and smiled at him for a moment, hoping his curiosity would abate. “Please, please accept that,” she prayed to herself as she fiddled with her chopsticks.

Hades wasn’t sure why he was feeling so oddly cold inside his chest as he listened to Persephone stumble through her reasons for performing at the gala. Somehow, he’d expected her to say something like “…it’s a great cause” or “oh, just for fun,” but her answer left him somehow nervous. Looking at her now, he could see the artery in her neck pulsing rapidly. Unsure of how to proceed from there, he was cut off before he could try.

“Hades, what caused you to begin this yearly gala? It seems out of character for you to want to host such a lavish and crowded event, let alone to do so each year.” 

She was smiling but he could still sense her nerves were on edge. He didn’t want to press her when she so obviously was done explaining herself.  
Hades was honestly surprised by her question but not at all offended. “Oh, well, huh, no one really asks me that since it’s to raise money for the charity. I suppose they just assume I chose it because it seemed worthy, which it is--very much so.” He took a deep breath and continued, “Kore, I may not know what it’s like to be a woman trying to get away from a bad situation in the modern world, but I do remember my mother trying to protect me from my father. I couldn’t do anything to help her then, no one could. He was far too strong.” Hades felt his posture slipping as he spoke of his past and her paused for a breath and sat up straight again. “I have the power to create real change right now, lasting change for people who need it most. If I have to take a few hours one night a year to have a party wherein the wealthiest Olympians will donate to this cause, I’ll gladly mix and mingle.”

Persephone was overwhelmed once again with the depth of Hades’ tenderness. She couldn’t help the tears that came to her eyes as she listened to him talk about his mother, but she refused to let them fall. Seeing this, Hades rushed to try and make her feel better immediately. “Besides, Miss Kore, the open bar and desserts help the time pass quickly.”

His emotional avoidance ended abruptly when Persephone held a gentle finger to his lips to silence him. He met her eyes and felt himself falling in love with her all over again. “Hades, your honesty is beautiful. Thank you for telling me the truth. My heart breaks for Rhea and I’m so sorry for all that you went through. Mother told me a few things about Kronos, but I know very little of him, honestly. Just what was taught for school. If this good can from the horrors she experienced, I know Rhea will be proud of you for it.” She smiled at him and gave him time to process her words in silence. Their food arrived just then, and they busied themselves with napkins and getting situated, but the atmosphere between the two had changed to something intimate.

“Persephone, I, I want t-to tell you a-about my ch-childhood. Not today, n-n-not now, but s-soon.” Hades was looking at his salad but not touching it. 

Persephone reached out to him once more and put her hand on top of his. He flipped his over slowly to interlace their fingers gently. Their eyes met and the two smiled, both blushing a little.

“I’d like that, Hades. I really would.” She cleared her throat, knowing for both their sakes that she had to refocus them. “For now, though, you’ve shared something very honest with me. I’d like to return the favor.” Her grin turned mischievous before she looked around as though making sure no one was listening to her talk. She bit her lip as Hades released her hand and leaned in closely to her, clearly enjoying her little game. She whispered conspiratorially, “I’ve wanted to try meat since the first time I smelled it cooking in Olympus.”

Hades laughed out loud and then made a show of gasping and slapping a hand to his mouth with his eyes bulging wide. “Oh, no, Kore. That’s the worst crime I’ve heard in ages! How could you?”

“I know, I know! I’m a fraud! I’m pretending to be little Miss Fruits and Flowers over here but secretly I’m literally out for blood. I’d trade my best pair of heels for a steak!” She giggled and took a bite of her dish, smiling, and glad to feel the balance returned between them.

“Well, how about this, Miss Fruits and Flowers? Next Friday, you and I have dinner at my house. I’m certainly no chef but I do make a good steak. Plus, at my house, you don’t have to worry about being seen eating meat.” Hades spoke with confidence but inside he was screaming and pleading for her to say yes. 

Persephone’s smile spread wider as he spoke and then she grew serious. “Is that a date, Hades?” She held her breath and stared at her plate.

He gulped but pressed on with the last of his courage, his arms spread open in front of him. “Honestly, Kore? I would like it to be, but only if you do too. Otherwise, I’ll be honored to cook steak for my dear friend. There’s no pressure or expectation attached.” He smiled at her kindly for a few seconds but then his confidence wavered. He took a deep breath and asked, “What do you want, Persephone?”

She tipped her head back for a moment and took a deep breath through her nose before looking him directly in the eyes again, feeling somewhat tired of this dance they were in. “After your breakup, that discussion in your ‘hiding place,’ and all the times we’ve nearly kissed, you’re asking me what I want from you?” She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him slightly when he didn’t respond other than to open his eyes wider and shrug at her slightly.

She closed her eyes and let out a single, exasperated laugh. Enough was enough. “Hades, I want you to pick me up from Artemis’ house at seven o’clock on Friday night so we can enjoy our date. I want to stop pretending that I don’t have feelings for you and you for me. I don’t want to play games or beat around the bush. I don’t like feeling out of sorts and not knowing where I stand with you.” She huffed and took a bite of her food before finally looking at him again and her resolve to be strong faltered and she blushed. “Also, I’d like to bring a dessert if you don’t mind.” She smiled sweetly and couldn’t help the blush travelling from her face to her neck when she looked at the dopey expression on his face. “Is that okay?”

Hades’ eyes were saucers now and his mouth was slightly slack but he shook it off and collected himself. “Is it okay? Little Goddess, you’ve made me ecstatic. I’ll be there at seven to pick you up, you can count on it. Make anything you’d like and I’m sure I’ll love it.” He smiled again and then took a bite of his own food. As much as he wanted to reach for her, hold her, kiss her, he didn’t dare. He did have trouble trying to stay in one spot on his chair, however, and Persephone was gracious enough to not tease him about it. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear you say you’re not going to play games with us. I guarantee you I don’t care for them. Whatever this is between us, that’s all I want to focus on.”

The remainder of their lunch was simple conversation about their day, their expectations for the gala, and Hades giving his promise to not let her act go without his donation. When their dishes were empty and they were moving to the front of the restaurant, Eros sent a text saying that he and Psyche would be arriving at Hades’ house in 30 minutes. Persephone insisted on paying for their meal to say thank you for the use of his house. Hades didn’t care for this but acquiesced.

They strolled toward his car, her arm once again on his, and Persephone was overjoyed to be greeted by Cerberus as he left the building. Soon after they drove to Hades’ doggy daycare and picked up two more familiar faces. Persephone talked to them the whole way home and Hades was filled with a sense of rightness from the scene. Once there, Persephone excused herself to take a quick shower before Eros arrived with Psyche.

She came downstairs in a short, navy robe with her hair grown out as it was the day she toured the beach with him. He was about to compliment her when Eros and Psyche knocked on the front door and then burst inside excitedly. Within moments, Persephone was being pulled away to a guest room by the pair. Hades laughed teasingly as she protested the need for introductions and that they had four hours before they needed to leave for the gala. 

Eros groaned playfully and rolled his eyes. Planting a hand on his hip and using the other to keep Persephone on the first step of the staircase, Eros chirped out, “Hades, Psyche, Psyche, Hades. She’s the love of my life. He’s the king of the underworld. K, lots to do so we gotta go for now. Thanks for the room Great Uncle Hades!” The women were giggling but also fussing at him for his rudeness. “No, no shame will be felt right now!” He waggled a pink index finger at them and shook his head dramatically. “I am Eros, hear me roar! We have hair and makeup to do and time's a-wastin! Let’s go, my love! Come on Cinnamon Roll!”

“Kore, what did I tell you?” Hades caught her eye and she smiled at him as he winked at her chuckling before she disappeared from his view. He then retreated to the den to relax before grabbing a shower for himself, still stunned and elated by the day’s turn of events.

Several hours later, Eros was making very deliberate swipes over Persephone’s face and neck with a vast array of brushes, eyeshadow palettes, liners, and lip colors. Psyche, her hair and makeup already perfect, was setting out everyone’s carefully selected wardrobe pieces and making certain they were all ready to wear.

As Eros put the final touches on Persephone’s hair, Psyche’s phone buzzed, and she answered it on speaker. “Psyche, this is Alexander from the gala. I wanted to give you a heads-up that there’s been a change of plans. Your group performs last tonight. The act scheduled to be after you is stuck in the mortal realm until next week. After your song will come your individual donations and then the final audience judging. Remember, everyone who has performed goes on stage together at the end for that part and then fireworks will engage. So, Eros, go easy on the hair spray, mkay?” Before anyone could speak, he was done talking and the line disconnected.

“Holy sugar snaps,” Persephone wailed into her fisted hands as she slunk into her chair. Suddenly all her fears from weeks before were hitting her anew.

“Uhh, no, holy shit snacks, Cinnamon Roll! This is amazing!” Eros was wriggling in delight and seemed to be taking far too much joy from this turn of events. “Hey, don’t smudge those lips! They took me forever!” He snatched her hand back down to her lap but smiled at his friend encouragingly. “Look, I know you didn’t want to be the last one up there tonight, but, hey, this is really great. Imagine the look on his face. He’ll know you mean business now and he won’t be bothering you again. Stupid asp, I mean Ap, ooh, wait, Ass, Asspollo!” Eros stopped mid-mascara stroke to lean back and shimmy with glee at his own cleverness. “Is it immature, yes, but also soooo satisfying to say. Asspollo! That ugly eggplant won’t know what hit him when you perform and then fireworks go off! Woo hoo!”

Psyche giggled and came over to kiss him on the cheek. “You’re a nut, lover boy!”

Eros bumped her with his hip and grinned from ear to ear. “You like it!”

She kissed him again and smiled, “I love it.”

Persephone relaxed a bit as she laughed along with her friends. She smiled and sat up again in her chair, reminding herself of her reasons for being here tonight. Staring herself down in the mirror before her, for just a moment she could see the other Persephone gazing back at her. Usually, the woman taunted her and called her weak. Tonight, she looked her up and down and nodded to her in respect with a conspiratorial smile on her lips.

“Alright doll, what do you think?” Eros asked as he put the final touches on her partially upswept hair. She’d grown it to several inches below her shoulders for tonight. He’d inserted a handful of decorative clips that matched her dress and would sparkle while she mingled and performed. “You look like a firecracker and you’re still in your robe. Psyche, I have outdone myself tonight!” He snapped his fingers in excitement.

“Oh, Eros, thank you so much. You’re a miracle worker! I feel like a queen!” Persephone stood and hugged her friend, being careful not to smudge or muss any of his hard work.

“Anytime, Pinky! Now it’s my turn!” Eros plopped himself down and began shaping his own hair into something worthy of a male model and then adding just enough shimmer to make himself stand out how he liked.

Psyche and Persephone giggled at him as he went through his routine. They stepped behind a changing screen Hades had produced for them from somewhere. The girls worked together and were quickly in their dresses. Stepping back into the main room, they found their jewelry and shoes.

Psyche had chosen a red skirt that buttoned at her natural waist and fell to the floor with a ballgown effect. Her top was snowy white and covered in lace of the same color. A few inches of her perfect, flat stomach were visible, and the combination of colors were gorgeous against her skin. She wore gold earrings and several thin bracelets to match. Her hair was pulled away from her face and styled to lay over one of her shoulders. She was a vision and Eros’ wings flapped rapidly when he saw her in all her glory. His own suit was tailored slim to fit him well and he’d added some little hints of red with his garnet cufflinks and patterned pocket square to match with her.

Persephone stood several inches taller than her true self. Her tiered, yellow gown was just as soft as it was striking. It was floor length with a thin lavender ribbon at her waist, a deep V-neck cut that she was convinced Psyche must have used magic on to ensure was tasteful with her curvy figure, and, of course, the entire dress was completed by a random placement of multicolored flowers. Gold strappy heels and a smooth bracelet completed the look. Assessing herself in the mirror, she could feel her confidence blooming. Her nervous thoughts were banished from her mind, her breath and heartbeat steady. The buttery fabric complimented her bright pink skin and hair with just enough contrast to be playful and daring. She really did feel like a queen dressed as she was.

Eros and Psyche put the final touches on their own outfits just as a knock came at the door. Eros stepped outside to greet Hades and then returned. “Ladies, the cobalt king has arranged a limo for us to ride in together and he has champagne on ice for us to share, if that’s of interest to us.” He waggled his eyebrows and Psyche and Persephone softly bounced up and down and loudly screamed their joy at this surprise.”

Through the door came Hades' amused voice, “I’ll take that as a yes! We need to leave in about 15 minutes.” His footsteps could be heard going down the hallway and down the stairs.

Persephone realized that her waiting time was up and it was really going to happen now. She was going to be on stage, taunting her abuser. She all but froze in place and stopped giggling as Eros fussed over his lovely lady.  
Psyche decided to go downstairs to visit with Hades while Eros chatted with Persephone. She could tell from the look he was giving her that he felt it was needed. He kissed her hand before closing the door and looking at Persephone.

“So, Cinnamon, what’s up with you and Little Boy Blue?” Eros looked playful but his tone told Persephone he was sensing something had changed between the two.

“Eros, he took me to lunch today and we have an official date here at the house on Friday. He wants to cook me dinner.”

Eros clapped and did a brief happy dance for her. She sighed through her happiness and then suddenly her eyes watered, and she took a sob.  
“Whoa, whoa, Baby Girl! That’s amazing! Don’t cry! What’s wrong?” Eros fluttered around her with a tissue to avoid her makeup running.

“I wasn’t expecting this to ever really happen. I’ve wanted this since I met him but first there was Apollo and then Minthe and now we’re committed to performing tonight and I don’t trust that it’s going to be okay anymore. Something bad is going to happen, I just know it.” She sniffled and blew her nose.

Eros scoffed and put his arm around his friend as they sat down on the edge of the guest bed. “Why do you think something bad is going to happen? I didn’t realize you were an oracle or gifted with visions like my grandmother. Are you?” Eros’s eyebrow shot up when he questioned her sarcastically.

Persephone rolled her eyes at him. “No, of course not. I just think that so much has gone wrong...why should it suddenly begin to go right?” She gave a humorless laugh at that and stared at the floor. They sat in silence for a few minutes as she controlled her breathing and dried her nose and eyes.

“Okay, listen here, Petal Power. We’re going to powder your cute little nose and then we’re going to make sure you have a grand entrance that will knock that king’s feet out from under him! You’re going to have fun tonight! It’s an open bar and they’ll be all sorts of food and desserts to sample. You’ll dance and drink and we’ll perform our fan-taaaaas-tic song together. Asspollo will be pissed but he’ll leave you alone after this. He won’t risk the embarrassment. I bet you get to dance with Hades tonight, maybe even take a little romantic walk in the moonlight, hmm?” He had her smiling by the end of his speech. “I can’t promise you that nothing will go wrong in the future, but I can tell you that you two are glowing for each other. I felt it as soon as I came into the house this afternoon. Trust yourself. Trust him. There’s no changing fate, you know. Just take it a day at a time.” He touched up her makeup and she nodded to him. 

He’d left the room about a few minutes before she did, giving her time to make her own entrance for Hades. She had a little golden purse she’d bought for the night and used her time to grab her lipstick, phone, and other necessities before heading down the hallway.

Hades enjoyed having people in his house, that was for certain. Too often he was alone with his dogs, his thoughts, his work, or just simply waiting around for the endless time to pass. Knowing he hadn’t been alone that afternoon had been a welcome change from that. He was still riding his high from asking Persephone on an official date, so hearing the laughter and movements upstairs as she and her friends readied themselves was wonderful. He thought it very kind of Psyche to come and visit with him once she was finished dressing. She was intelligent and kind so he could see why Eros had taken to her how he did. 

Excitement shot through him when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, but he settled back into his seat when Eros pranced into the room and bowed before the small audience. Psyche laughed and rushed to him, kissing him soundly and being twirled and dipped sweetly in response. Hades grinned at the pair and thought they made a nice match.

Hades shot to his feet when he heard Persephone coming down the hallway. His first glimpse of her was the candy floss of her dress, yellow, and covered in flowers. Her tiny feet made their way down the steps, and each new inch of her he could see had his mouth falling that much more open in response. Did he know how to form words? He certainly couldn’t remember how to in that moment. All he could do was try to remember to breathe. She was a vision. She was the most gorgeous creature he’d ever seen. And she was walking toward him. She looked like sunshine in a field of flowers, and she smelled like a thousand different ones all at once and then individually each time he tried to place one. He wanted to capture this moment with her as a memory so he could hold it forever in his mind. She reached her spot directly in front of him and he finally managed to close his mouth and clear his throat. “Persephone, Kore, I, you, you are exquisite. Would you do me the honor, the absolute joy of letting me escort you to the gala tonight?”

She smiled at him broadly and he took her hand to kiss it. “I’d like nothing better than that.” Hades held the kiss for a few seconds and the two locked their gazes until Eros and Psyche began putting on their coats. They turned toward the front of the house and Persephone realized she’d left her wrap upstairs. “Oh no, I forgot my wrap!” Eros and Psyche went on to the car to get settled while Hades waited with Persephone.

“I think they want the first glasses of champagne before we beat them to the bottle,” Persephone breathed out in the quiet of the house.

Hades laughed softly and then said, “I actually have something you might like to wear more than a wrap.” He pulled her to the middle of the room and stepped away from her. “I recently learned from Eros that it was taken unfairly from you, so I retrieved it. I was planning to give it to you at work next week, but I think this is a much better time.” 

Hades disappeared down a hallway and returned with a familiar sized box. Persephone gasped and quickly joined him where he’d set it on a table. He lifted the lid and revealed the soft, fluffy coat he’d given to her the morning she’d awakened in his guestroom. She covered her mouth with her hands and stared at it in silence. Thinking the worst, Hades attempted to backpedal right away. “Oh, hey, no pressure. If you’d rather your wrap, I’ll be happy to get that for you. The coat is yours to do with as you please.”

Persephone cut Hades off by wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him fiercely. “Thank you so much. You didn’t have to give me the coat in the first place. Now you’ve gotten it back for me and given it to me all over again. This means so much to me. I wouldn’t want to wear anything else tonight but this. Thank you.”

Hades held her to him and pressed his lips to cheek. Somehow to them both, it was incredibly intimate. He pulled away a few seconds later, smiled softly to her, and helped her into the coat. He offered her his arm and they walked toward the car where Eros and Psyche were waiting. On their way, Persephone said goodbye to each of the dogs. Sweetly, none of them jumped up or tried to be held while they were dressed formally. “Such good boys and girls!” she cooed to them. Hades scooped Meli up for Persephone to pet and then returned her to the sofa. She couldn’t resist teasing him by saying, “Bye bye, Pomelia,” and winking at him as he smiled and rolled his eyes.

After they were seated together in the limo, Eros and Psyche handed them each a glass of champagne. The group toasted the night together and they pulled away toward the venue.

Persephone wondered if perhaps tonight was a sign of change for her. Maybe it was time for her to relax and enjoy her happiness and not worry for once. Maybe sometimes fate could be kind and events didn’t have to be a struggle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review so I know how you feel about the story. Bookmark me to see future chapters every 3-4 days. Thanks!


	2. The Gala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group attends the gala and Persephone bumps into someone she doesn't want to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any rights to Lore Olympus. That honor goes to the talented Rachel Smythe.  
> I don't own any rights to the song Lemons. That honor goes to Brye Sebring.
> 
> Content warning: This story deals with Persephone moving on with her life after Apollo assaults and continues to approach her. There will be discussions that allude to her assault having occurred and possibly some verbal and physical altercations about Apollo's behavior. Do not read this story if you are sensitive to this topic or fear you may be triggered by it.
> 
> Gala decorations: https://bit.ly/3fZVhKC  
> Hades' lantana: https://bit.ly/3eY195L

The Tri-Realm Gala was held yearly at the Underworld Events Center. A plush carpet had been placed from the entrance to the curb with seating on either side of it available to anyone who wanted to view the attendees as they exited their vehicles and walked inside for the night.

Hades had quietly cleared his throat and taken a deep breath in as they neared the event center. “Eros, I know you’ve been before but it’s still early right now. There might be some press and god-watchers out there, but most won’t arrive for another thirty minutes or so. Ladies, it’s up to you and him if you’d rather keep driving around and join the festivities later so you can ‘walk the carpet’ and experience that together. I do have to go inside now, however, in case there are any last minute needs before the guests arrive.”

Persephone gave a nervous laugh, “Um, that’s a definite no from me, Hades. Pictures, remember?” She smiled when he took her hand and squeezed her fingers gently. “Besides, I can’t leave my date to walk in on his own, now can I?” As Hades gulped and blushed, Persephone had a moment of panic that he didn’t want to be seen with her just yet. “Of course, if you’d rather we go in separately I would completely understand! I mean, we’re together tonight and we have our first official date next week. Err, maybe being photographed at the gala as your date is premature. Sorry!” She laughed shyly and began looking in her purse for something nonexistent.

Eros and Psyche stopped their flirting when they heard all of this. Eros gasped and his gaze slowly moved to the pair, pupils blown wide. “Oh my gods, you two are killing me with this.” His wings began flitting and a single feather floated to the seat beside him. “Ack, you see! My poor, previously perfect plumage.” He huffed and raised an eyebrow at Hades and Persephone before tossing the feather to the floor. “I’m going inside with Psyche right now. We’ll just walk around the events center until it’s time to take our seats. We’ve been trying to fly under the radar, no pun intended. Zeus knows we’re together but she’s still a mortal and it’s technically illegal, so…”

Hades jumped to attention, glad to have a challenge he could easily handle. “Say no more, nephew. Remember that as of this moment she’s a guest in my realm for tonight. I say you’re welcome and safe, Psyche. Relax and enjoy the fun of the gala.” Hades nodded to her when Psyche thanked him before resting her head against Eros’ in comfort.

Eros huffed again and smiled at the pair in front of him. “I love you both very much and I only want you to be happy. So, do me a favor and figure this out and do it fast. Stop torturing yourselves with this game you’re playing.” He took Psyche’s hand and the couple exited the limo. He popped his head back in to say, “Don’t make me get my arrows!” Before either could retort, he shut the door and walked confidently toward the entrance of the building with Psyche at his side.

The silence of the car was somehow deafening to Persephone. She was slightly in shock from Eros’ direct confrontation, but knew she shouldn’t be—he is Eros, after all.

When Hades spoke, he was calm but staring at his hands in his lap. “I have to admit, he’s not wrong about us playing a game with each other. We said we didn’t want to play, that we were going to be honest with each other, and that we didn’t want to pretend anymore. Yet, that’s exactly what we just did, isn’t it?”

Persephone was still holding her purse in her lap. She drew a deep breath and closed it quickly to toss it to the seat beside her. She looked up to Hades’ face and he turned to look at her. “I’m the one who started it. I honestly don’t know why I suddenly doubted you wanted to go inside with me. You asked to be my escort. I should have trusted that and I’m sorry I didn’t.” She lowered her gaze and turned away from him slightly.

Hades gently put one hand on her knee and the other under her chin, turning her carefully and slowly toward him and her gaze up to meet his once more. She didn’t put up any resistance, and felt treasured by him at that moment. “I’m to blame because I asked if you wanted to drive around with your friends and enter separately. I admit that my insecurities got the better of me in that minute and I feared you wouldn’t want to be photographed with me. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you, Kore.” He cupped her cheek and she tilted her head into his hand, eyes closing to luxuriate in the feeling of his warmth and care.

She opened her eyes but held a hand over his to keep him where he was, “Let me be honest and clear now, Hades. I always want to be near you. When we’re at work, I look at the clock all the time to decide when I might be able to see you again. I can’t imagine not wanting to be seen with you and I don't care for what the gossips and tabloids have to say about it from their little points-of-view.”

Hades smiled and chuckled under his breath as she finished. He bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before wrapping his arms around her. He sighed in contentment when she rested her head on his chest. His voice was calm when he spoke. “Persephone, I agree with you about being unworried about the points-of-view of others, but your reputation is still important. You’re young and new to Olympus. I’ll always want to make certain you’re seen in the best light possible. That said, I generally sit through meetings or in my office desk-chair cooking up reasons to see you in the hallways or to come to the library. Beside you is where I’m happiest and I don’t think that’s going to change.”

Persephone leaned back and picked up her purse once more. Smiling at Hades, she said confidently, “Please escort me inside, Your Majesty. I’m ready for whatever that carpet walk brings our way.” 

Hades smiled and held out a hand for her to help her exit after standing on the ground beside the car. As she emerged, Persephone smirked and told him, “Also, I want more champagne because Eros doesn’t know how to share.”

Hades stood beside the car and threw his head back in laughter, still holding her hand as she adjusted her dress and giggled with him. He closed the door and tucked her arm through his as they stepped onto the carpet. 

“I see some cameras, Kore. How about you keep your eyes on mine and try to not think about the flashes?”

She nodded and smiled at him while doing just that. His smile was relaxed and encouraging, helping her to feel supported and loved. She knew cameras were clicking around them and she occasionally blinked at a bright flash, but she found it far easier to handle them than she had in several weeks.

Persephone wasn’t sure what she expected to see, but she certainly wasn’t prepared for the luxury set before her when they walked inside the structure. Stone covered walls and soft lighting with plush carpets gave the hallways a comfortable feeling. The events center itself was enormous, easily the largest building she’d been inside of before that day. She’d smirked at Hades and asked him teasingly, “Are you certain this building is large enough? I’m worried there might not be room for everyone in here.”

Hades rolled his eyes at her and chuckled as they stopped walking. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, “This center can host up to one hundred thousand guests if every space is filled. So, yes, many beings can fit into this building, Little Goddess, but as for their egos? That’s always questionable. I doubt there’s enough room in the cosmos for those. Bolt Boy alone would need…”

She shifted so she was whispering in his ear now, “Sixty five percent!”

He stepped back and held his hands beside his chest, smiling in mock surrender. “Whoa, whoa, that’s climbing faster and faster today. How about we go get some drinks and cool things off a bit?”

She scrunched her nose up and twisted her mouth playfully at him as she hummed in consideration, “Only if we also just happen to walk by the dessert bar I’ve heard so much about.”

He took her hand and drew her beside him, “Done, Sweetness.” They came into the main ballroom and Persephone gasped as she stopped walking all together. 

“Do you like it? We try to do something unique each year.”

“Like it? Hades, it’s spectacular! It’s exquisite.” 

The room had been decorated with a stone façade from the floor to the ceiling, giving the illusion of being inside a courtyard. Cool tones shone from canned lighting and mixed with warm glittering shafts from classic chandeliers. There were too many large, round tables set up near the front of the room to count. In front of them were a DJ and small orchestra working to finish preparing for the night. Persephone recognized the stage area between them from rehearsals, but it was now flanked by tall, wispy trees. On the opposite end of the room, a wooden floor had been placed to create a large dance space. Separating it from the tables were long rows of various silent auction items. Elsewhere was a large dessert display that left her mouth watering, the bar, and restroom facilities. The tables were draped to the floor with deep jewel tones of silky fabric and covered with candles and flowers that wouldn’t obstruct the occupants’ views of the stage performances. 

Persephone shivered a bit at how cold the room felt to her. “I love it all! It's like I've walked into a storybook, Hades.” She hugged her arms, still feeling cold even with her coat on.

Hades reached for her hand again and drew her to a table at the center of the others and then pulled her into his side to rub her arms. “I know it seems frigid in her now, but years of experience with this has taught me to crank the temperature down overnight before this begins. Imagine how warm it’s going to get in her once five hundred other guests arrive. You won’t need your coat long, Little Goddess.” He kissed her hair gently and they stood cuddling this way for several minutes. Regretfully, Hades released her and then rubbed his hands together, “What would you like to drink, Miss Kore?”

“Oh, I’m sorry but I don’t know other than champagne. The night we met and then the limo are the only times I’ve ever really had alcohol other than wine. What’s something sweet I might like?” As she said this, Persephone let her fingers wander to straighten Hades’ black tuxedo and tie. She fluffed his crisp white pocket square and then her fingertip looped through his empty buttonhole.

He smiled at her gentle petting and asked, “Well, what do you like to drink that’s non-alcoholic? I know you like tea and pomegranate juice. What else?”

“Hmm, I like fruity drinks but not always tropical ones. Orange and watermelon, lemon are all tasty.” She was still looking at his buttonhole and had a smile growing on her face as she looked up at him.

“I think you might like a gimlet. It’s a sweet cocktail that’s been around for a long time. They’re made with fresh lime juice, sweet syrup, and gin. If you don’t like it, I’d suggest just enjoy the champagne. I wouldn’t try tasting too much hard liquor all at once when you don’t know how it’ll hit you before you perform. I’ll grab you one and be right back.”

He pulled away from her and she set herself down at a chair and checked herself in her little purse mirror. She looked the same as she had at the house before leaving, but she felt a growing bravery within herself. It was a wonderful, exciting feeling as she relished in her shared time with Hades today.

He returned quickly since they were the only ones in the room other than the event staff. He set her drink down in front of her and then one in front of a seat beside her before settling down in his chair. He watched as Persephone took a sip of the cocktail and her eyes fluttered before she smiled.

“Oooh, that’s dangerously delicious! I’ll need to be careful with these.” Hades smiled at her as she took another sip and then set down her drink.  
“Oh, I almost forgot I need to wear…” Hades trailed off and instantly his pointed crown materialized to sit on his head. He gave her a lopsided grin as if to say he was sorry for it.

She smiled encouragingly at him. “I’d like to give you something to wear tonight, if I may?” Persephone asked. She giggled when he made a show of considering this with a thoughtful expression and a finger on his chin. He smiled after a few seconds though and moved it to his empty buttonhole, raising an eyebrow and smiling at her again. “Yes, that’s right. You’re very clever, Your Highness.” He chuckled and nodded to her, excited to see her use her powers again.

Thinking through the flowers that were native to Sicily, she decided on a unique and colorful one that would match her dress enough to please her and figured this would make Hades smile. She cupped her hand on the buttonhole over his heart and concentrated to form a small sprig of lantana with three perfect blooms sprouting from it. She’d added a few extra bits of stem to the backside to ensure it would stay in place for him.

“This is stunning, Kore. I remember these from my childhood, and they were always a favorite of mine because you could never find one that looked exactly like any other.” He shook his head in wonder at her. “You constantly astonish me with your gifts, Persephone.”

She laughed softly, “Well, I think the King of the Underworld and gala host deserve to sport something stunning. If that something just happens to compliment my dress tonight, well, all the better in my opinion.”

He couldn’t stop himself this time. He leaned forward and kissed her gently on her mouth and she raised her empty hand to cup the side of his neck and jaw. She sighed into the kiss and was sad when he pulled away. She laughed when he wiped at the clear gloss Eros had insisted she sport over her lipstick tonight but was pleased to see there were no embarrassing smudges there. 

“I’m happy right now, Hades. So much more than I thought I could be, ever again.”

Hades had been grinning from ear to ear, but it faded at her last words. The feeling of unexplained dread from lunch returning to him with force. “Kore, what do you me—” Hades was cut off by the arrival of several guests, including Hera and Zeus at their table. He didn’t think Persephone had even heard him ask his question.

“Ahoy ahoy! Isn’t this a pleasant surprise! Can this be Persephone? It’s hard to tell without you in the palace with your swimsuit on and covered in dirt!” He laughed at his own joke and didn’t seem to notice her embarrassment or Hades jaw clicking. 

Zeus was dressed in a deep red, gods-awful velvet tuxedo with a shiny silk shirt and pocket square. The garish outfit topped off with his shining crown was an assault to almost every sense Persephone had.

Hera looked exquisite in a sparkling red and gold, sleeveless, beaded dress with matching garnet jewelry. She looked every bit a refined queen from her perfectly waved hair and crown to her long red gloves. She smiled and hugged Persephone as she rose to greet her, crooning “You look lovely this evening, my dear! I think you’ll be the star of the night in this dress.” She winked at Hades who smiled and kissed her lightly on her cheek before moving to speak with his brother.

The two looked at them when they heard Zeus call out excitedly, “Fish sticks, you made it!” 

Their third brother and his wife approached the group with their fingers intertwined. Poseidon was wearing a black tuxedo similar to Hades’, but a sea star stuck out of his breast pocket and kelp from his buttonhole. Amphitrite was as lovely as she had seen in the portrait at the palace, but tonight she was walking on legs. She was tall and thin, her skin a pearlescent range of porcelain colors. They both wore their own crowns and made a striking couple. She was dressed in forest green that floated around her as she moved and her emerald jewelry glistened, giving her an ethereal glow that was impossible to ignore. She had one hand laced through Poseidon’s and the other rested on a small bump at her waist. 

“Hello everyone, it’s been far too long since I’ve been able to visit. I’m afraid this little squid has been keeping me rather indisposed.”

“Completely understandable, dear one!” Hera hugged her sister-in-law. “How are you feeling now? I admit I hadn’t expected to see you here tonight. You’re not pushing yourself too hard, are you?”

“Oh, no, truly, I’m not. I stopped feeling ill about three days ago and have been testing my limits since then. I’ve been eating and drinking as normal, ridden around with Poseidon, and been swimming all over the place. I think it’s one of those strange pregnancy issues—gone just as suddenly as it came. It was weeks of misery and then, ta da, gone!” Hera and she laughed together and Persephone couldn’t help but giggle at them, both looking like any other friends and not the queens they are. Amphitrite looked to Persephone and didn’t seem shocked at her presence. 

“Hello, Persephone, I’m Amphitrite but please call me Trite. I’m Poseidon’s wife and I’m so pleased to finally be meeting you. He’s told me a lot about you.” She smiled and reached out to squeeze her hand.

“King Poseidon has? But I’ve never met him before this moment. How could he?” She laughed and blushed as she spoke, unsure of what to say. She looked at him directly, curtsied, and said, “It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”

Poseidon nodded to her but grinned and said, “Persephone, please, call me Poseidon or Posie. I don’t often stand on formality. I’ll leave you in the capable hands of my wife and Hera, but I look forward to getting to know you. Save me a dance, please! Later, ladies!” He spun around and joined his brothers.

The queens exchanged conspiratorial glances before Trite spoke again, “It’s true that he’s not met you before, but Posie goes every week to meet Zeus and Hades for brunch. They always manage to pull information out of your boyfriend, even if he doesn’t want to share it. They’re obnoxiously good that way.” 

The queens giggled at this and Persephone joined them. She wasn’t sure about the term “boyfriend”, but she certainly loved the sound of it.

After a few more minutes of conversation, the group decided it was time to take their seats. The room was beginning to fill up quickly and the orchestra was playing quiet but exciting music since dinner was going to be served before long.

Hecate shimmered into existence directly into the empty seat beside Posie, her hair and makeup perfectly smooth as always but wearing a strapless, black satin dress with a sparkling lavalier that reached to the table level and black gloves adorned with matching bracelets. No one at their table batted an eye at this behavior and everyone was excited to see her. 

Persephone asked her with a sly grin, “Hecate, can I safely assume that you don’t enjoy carpet walks?”

Hecate grinned like a feline and winked at her. “Always so clever, my darling girl. Hera, you were a genius to send her to us. She’s already making such a difference with her work in the Underworld. You might go as far as saying that it’s like she was always meant to be here.” Her eyes flashed with an odd light and Hera hummed happily to herself while Zeus and Posie seemed oblivious to the exchange.

Hades held her hand between their hips and the table group enjoyed a pleasant conversation together, including some hilarious stories about the antics of the three brothers. Persephone shared about growing up in the mortal realm and attending university while working on her internship. She was happy to share with Hera that it was going well, and she was really enjoying it.

When the ballroom was filled and the events planner had let him know she was ready to begin, Hades left the group to give his opening welcome. She watched him take a Bluetooth microphone from her and attach it behind his ear. He seemed so comfortable with all the attention he was about to receive from so many judgmental eyes. Persephone was excited to see him in his role as king because too often she thought of him as her friend, her romantic interest, her boss at work for judging in his court, or as a CEO of a tech company. But he was a king and attended to all manner of duties in keeping with that title. She’d seen him wearing his crown before in pictures and his circlet for court judgment, but this was somehow completely different. It was somehow uncharted territory for her to think of him in this way.

When he walked to the center of the stage area, the room erupted into applause. He smiled and put his hands in his pants pockets. “Good evening everyone and welcome to the one hundred seventy third Tri-Realm Gala. I’m your host in name tonight, Hades, King of the Underworld, and luckily for all of us, not your MC.” He paused while the audience chuckled at his unexpected humor. “I take my title as the Unseen One very seriously, plus it’s best for everyone’s ears that I never attempt joke writing.” Another pause for laughter, this time with Zeus the loudest of all. “In my stead you will enjoy the brilliant mind and grace of my niece, Athena. Tonight’s event is full of live entertainment, fine food and drink, as well as a number of chances to bid for new trinkets. I want everyone to enjoy themselves immensely but also to remember that we’re here tonight for a cause that is closer to our family history than is comfortable for many us to remember. Starting a life anew from nothing is no simple task. We in this room have the benefit of immortality, unique gifts and powers, as well as millennia of trials and errors to look back upon in order to make the right choices moving forward. The women and children we’re raising money for tonight don’t have these luxuries available to them and they need assistance when their lives are crumbling around them. I urge you to reach deeply into your pockets tonight as you’re enjoying the fun and glamour around you.” The audience had grown reflective with Hades’ explanation and Persephone wondered if he’d leave them with this somber idea. As always, he surprised her. “I’ll also remind everyone to be sure and visit the open bar as often as they’d like. I find it works wonders to remove the sting of missing drachma from one’s bank account. Have a great time everyone and I sincerely thank you for being here tonight!” Hades gave a one-armed wave to the once-again laughing audience as he stepped back and then walked to the edge of the room.

The music began quickly and several servers appeared immediately to open multiple bottles of champagne simultaneously. The crowd cheered at the sound of the popping corks and food began being served at record speed to the tables. Hades returned to sit beside Persephone once the movement had died down a bit, his microphone gone. She fussed over him as he put his napkin in his lap and picked up his drink with one hand and gripped her fingers with his other. 

“You did such a wonderful job up there, Hades! I’m so proud for you, but I shouldn’t be surprised that you can hold your own in any setting.”

“Oh, Sweetness, you’re too kind. It’s a once a year happening, I assure you. I’m much more comfortable with small groups, phone calls, or even better, emails.” He adjusted his tie a bit and Persephone knew that he meant what he said.

“Well, that’s fine by me, especially if it means I’ll have more time with you to myself and not with crowded groups.” She smiled shyly at him with her eyes cast down to their joined hands.

He sucked in his breath and squeezed her hand tightly before lacing their fingers together. “I love the idea of that, Little Goddess, more than you know.”

Persephone used her free hand to take up her own drink and took a sip to cool herself down a bit. She’d pulled off her coat while talking to the queens a little bit earlier, but now she was warm for entirely different reasons.

Hera sat to Persephone’s left and Zeus to hers. To Hades’ right sat Trite and then Posie followed by Hecate. The last open spot was Athena’s, but she’d only been by briefly to set down her coat and bag, promising to come join them if time allowed. She was dressed in a perfectly tailored burgundy suit tonight and looked just as strong and kind as ever. Persephone knew that whether she stayed in TGOEM or chose to leave the group, Athena was someone she’d always want to keep as a friend.

The table was filled with fun conversation throughout the remainder of the meal and Persephone found it easier to relax around The Big Three than she had previously imagined. Hades was so different from Zeus, it was sometimes difficult to think of them as brothers. Poseidon, too, but more for how carefree he was. Hades had a heavy burden of responsibilities to balance, but Persephone forced herself not to dwell too much on that fact for the night. It wouldn’t do anyone any good to cause an upset with an unkind slip of the tongue.

The dinner plates were served and cleared away in a staggered order, thus allowing for an almost nonexistent line at the dessert bar. Their own table was served each course last, thus allowing the rest of the guests to come to the table and visit with their host and the kings and queens as they pleased while they waited. Some ignored Persephone, others greeted her skeptically, but most were gracious and introduced themselves with compliments on her dress and work in the mortal realm. Whenever Hades was approached, he would always do this first, saying, “With me this evening is Persephone, Goddess of Spring.” She so appreciated his way of cutting away any chance of awkward questions about their relationship but still maintaining his pride for having her with him. It made her heart open even wider to him each time she heard it. He was selfless and he genuinely cared for her comfort and happiness. 

When the other guests had all gone through, their table left to pick their desserts. Hades escorted her with a hand at her back and smiled at her obvious excitement over the evening. Persephone had never seen so many different pastries all together at one time; some she had not seen before at all. Hades saw her hesitate in choosing one and asked for her top two choices. He requested a serving of each of them and turned with his hands full to smile at her. “You can try each and eat the one you like best. I’ll have the other.” He grinned at her and asked if she would mind getting two glasses of champagne for them from one of the stationed wait staff. She smiled and walked toward the first little standing table of flutes she saw.

While waiting for the man to retrieve the next bottle from ice and open it, someone walked up behind her and interrupted her splendid thoughts on the evening and how peaceful she felt. For the first time in months, she had felt truly calm and content. It was a sense memory that broke her from it like a dousing of ice down her back--the smell of his soap and cologne hitting her nose. 

A voice beside her ear, too close for casual company, hissed to her, “Hello, Persie. You look so sexy tonight that I just had to tell you. I know you wore this for me. I do so love the color of the sun. And we both know you’ll alllwaaaysss be my girl.” He all but hissed as he held out the word, brushing his cold fingers down the side of her bare arm.

She spun around to face him, anger clearly etched on her face for a few seconds. She took a breath and forced her features to relax, remembering where she was and all the important eyes upon her. She ground out her words quietly, “Do not touch me, Apollo. I’ve told you to leave me alone. You seem incapable of comprehending basic information.” She was terrified but determined to stand her ground at the same time. She refused to break eye contact with her nightmare this time.

She smelled alcohol coming off him in waves as he dared to speak again. “Pftt, like I believe you when you say those types of things. You’ve said no before but of course we both know that what you really said in the end was yes. You’ve even got your hair grown out like I like it. I know you, Persie, I know you better than any other man.” He paused and smiled, looking up to chug the last of his current champagne. “Or woman, for that matter.” He laughed at his own stupid, cliché joke.

Persephone used all of her willpower to keep her eyes from shifting to red and her voice to remain a whisper. “You’ve got the same sense as a bag of dirt, Apollo. Let me be clear once again: stay away from me. I don’t want anything to do with you. I don’t want to see you, hear you, smell you, or think about you. And don’t call me Persie, it’s a horrid name for dogs and little boys.” She turned around, snatched two flutes of champagne and headed toward her table with Hades. He met her halfway there and took the glasses from her and led her back to their seats, not yet having noticed her expression because she was walking with her eyes on her shoes and hemline.

Once seated, he noticed her pale complexion and then reached up to her temple to caress a red vine she hadn’t realized had formed there during her discussion with Apollo. 

“Oh, Sweetness, Kore, are you alright?” Hades lifted his hands to frame Persephone’s face and was pleased to see her blush deeply and respond to him. “Talk to me, what’s wrong? You seemed so happy just minutes ago.”

Persephone willed the vine away and took several deep breaths before she answered him. When she felt steady again, she took both of his hands in hers and moved them to her lap, enjoying again how small they felt in his. She didn’t want to lie to him and there wasn’t any point of dancing around this situation if they were going to be dating. For now, though, she needed to compartmentalize. A gala was no place for this talk to take place. “I ran into… an unpleasant acquaintance is all. I wasn’t expecting to see him at that moment, but I’m okay now, really. It’s fine. Let’s just forget about it for now. I’ll tell you the whole story, I promise. Just, um, just not right now.” 

She said all of this is such a rush that Hades knew, now more than ever, that something was wrong. He didn’t know what it was exactly, but the clues he had from the day all pointed to a direction that made his blood boil. She saw his hesitation to agree to this and whispered to him, “Please, Hades.”

“Kore, I’m worried, I really am. Sweetness, please…” Hades was cut off by her leaning forward and meeting his eyes with determination and saying without a hint of reluctance, “Tonight, after the gala, let me stay with you and we can talk about it. All night if you want, just not right now. We’re in front of everyone from all of the kingdoms and your family will be back any moment.”

“Persephone, I,” Hades began to argue but he saw the conviction on her face and heard it in her voice. She would tell him later, in a matter of hours. All he could do for her now was support her. He leaned toward her and they were inches apart, nose to nose. He whispered intensely to her, “Whatever has happened, who and what and when, I’m going to wait until you’re ready. If that’s tonight, I’ll be there. Know this, Little Goddess, I’m not going anywhere. You can tell me when you’re ready and feel confident knowing that I will hold your hand and stand by you, I’ll even help you get revenge if you want it. Fates, I’ll gladly kick someone’s ass for you if that is what you need from me.” He was relieved to see her smile at him again but he saw tears forming that she wouldn’t let fall. “I won’t lie to you, though. I’m on edge about this. I first felt it when you were talking with me at lunch today about the charity, and then again when we talked about being happy with each other.” 

She couldn’t speak without crying right then, so she reached up to kiss his forehead as the others returned with their desserts.

Persephone knew they couldn’t go on talking now that the others had arrived. She nodded to him, took a deep breath, and turned in her chair, keeping her eyes locked with his. He handed her a glass of champagne and she took a deep sip of it, feeling the bubbles tickle her nose and her tears recede.

Hades shook his head lightly and drained his glass of scotch. He smiled at her broadly and then picked up their dessert plates to flourish them in front of her and then set them down between them. “So, which one first, Sweetness?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me a review so I know how you feel about the story. Bookmark it to get updated chapters every 3-4 days. Thanks for reading!


	3. Just Desserts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of the gala brings more unexpected changes for Persephone as she prepares to sing her song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any rights to Lore Olympus. That honor goes to the talented Rachel Smythe. I don't own any rights to the song Lemons. That honor goes to Brye Sebring.
> 
> Content warning: This story deals with Persephone moving on with her life after Apollo assaults and continues to approach her. There will be discussions that allude to her assault having occurred and possibly some verbal and physical altercations about Apollo's behavior. Do not read this story if you are sensitive to this topic or fear you may be triggered by it.
> 
> Pomegranate necklace: https://bit.ly/2WTXu2N

In the end, Persephone chose to share both desserts with Hades. The first was a tangy raspberry Russian cream and the other a decadent, sweet hazelnut cake. As she finger-swiped the last bit of icing from the plate and savored it, Hades squirmed to hear her little moan of contentment. “Little Goddess, I think I’ve discovered your weakness.” 

Persephone didn’t fight the blue flowers that bloomed in her hair when she saw she held his rapt attention. Emboldened by the day’s events, she shrugged and smiled sweetly up at him through her lowered lashes and whispered, “You really think it’s the cake, Hades?”

His eyes flashed crimson and Persephone felt her heartbeat speeding up. She laced their fingers snugly and held their hands on her knee as he’d been doing throughout the night.

This shared moment of intimacy was lost on the others at the table. Hera leaned over to speak to both of them. “You two can’t help but be adorable together, can you? Honestly, sharing desserts! Aidoneus, in two thousand years I’ve not ever seen you like this.” As she watched them both blush, her smile grew broader still. Hades reached for the glass of champagne in front of him and Persephone began carefully dabbing at her mouth with her napkin. Hera’s eyes were dilating and contracting while she sat humming to herself. “Don’t be shy with me, dear ones. Love is beautiful and it seems you share a unique bond with one another. It brings me nothing but joy to see such a perfect match...”

Hades cleared his throat roughly and spoke over Hera with a pleading look, “Bunny, that’s a lovely observation, but let’s just see where Persphone and I want to take things, okay?” 

Hera raised her eyebrows and arms with melodramatic innocence as Zeus siddled closer to his wife to join the conversation. He put his arm around Hera’s waist and held her to his side. He smiled and laughed off Hades’ comments. “Of course, of course! My wife was just pointing out how refreshing it is to see you happy. Don’t get ahead of yourself, you big blue idiot!”

Hades eyes narrowed and glowed red for the second time in as many minutes, but this time Persephone wondered if an argument was on the horizon. While she was his sister-in-law, Persephone had the feeling it wasn’t always an easy relationship to manage being close to Hera. As the Goddess of Marriage and Queen of the Gods, she held a great deal of power and wasn’t afraid to insinuate her authority. She seemed to mean well, but Persephone was quickly learning that life in Olympus was an ongoing game of chess--and not the kind she was skilled with yet. She set her napkin down and prepared herself to make the excuse of wanting another dessert so she and Hades to leave the table. Luckily, she was saved by the last of their plates being cleared away by the wait staff and the lights beginning to dim in the ballroom. She felt relieved as the other guests around the room took their seats and a round of applause thundered. Hera looked to Zeus as Athena approached the stage and the pair sat up in their chairs, clearly excited to see her lead the night’s activities. 

Hades met Persephone’s eyes in the dim light of the ballroom and she could see his still glowed faintly, growing dimmer as he held onto her hand at his hip once more. He was obviously trying to calm himself after the awkward exchange with Hera and Zeus. Persephone reached across to him with her left hand and pretended to adjust his lantana flowers, and then slid her hand to cup their joined ones in support. He often did this for her and it was a welcome change for her to be offering him comfort. She held his gaze until he smiled for her again. When the glow at last faded from his eyes, he motioned to her champagne flute as he took up his own again. 

Fueled by the events of the day and a few drinks in her system, she leaned over to whisper in his ear, “Here’s to seeing where this takes us together.” She kissed his cheek and pulled back to softly clink their glasses, enjoying warm expression on Hades’ face before he drank his champagne. 

Athena was, of course, an excellent MC for the gala. She was witty and outgoing, so speaking to the crowd wasn’t an issue for her. Her natural kindness and humor kept the guests in high spirits and their donations rolling out. 

Persephone had no doubt Hades could have handled the process himself, but understood why he was more comfortable with his quiet role at the gala. She knew that the King of the Underworld, God of the Dead, Unseen One, titles carried unforgiving stigmas within the realms for him. If he was pleased with this arrangement, she was too. An added benefit being they could enjoy the gala together instead of worrying about the stress of him performing. As she considered all of this and looked toward the stage the movements of an aerial-silks acrobat were lost on her even though she appeared to be paying attention. She was lost in her thoughts about the man sitting beside her. Hades always made her smile and laugh; just being around him for a few minutes could make her day excellent, no matter what stressors she was facing. He was sweet, smart, and thoughtful; the kindest person she had ever known. She applauded when the crowd did, but didn’t really break her train of thought until the donation bidding began. The goal was to win by the chance to donate by being the “top bidder” for the acrobat. She knew it would likely be a profitable part of the evening, but she hadn’t imagined the tens of thousands of drachma that were donated in the end. Hades stood at the close and clapped loudly as others around the room did the same. 

Hades explained there would be fifteen minutes between the end of bidding and the start of each act. So while some guests moved to view the silent auction items and place their bids there, others came and went to the bar for drinks or to grab more desserts. Many could be seen mingling and chatting with friends around the room. Light, playful music could be heard clearly through speakers and Hades asked her to join him for dancing. Her heart pounding in her ears, she led the way to the floor and turned to take his hand. She heard him sigh as he put his other arm around her, thus pulling her tiny frame close to his own. 

She looked up at him from his chest with her neck pulled back and smiled, teasing him gently, “Would this be easier if I flew up to your eye level or if I just stood on your shoes.” 

Hades just shook his head softly and pulled her a fraction closer to him. “Honestly, Little Goddess, I prefer you as you are. You’re much easier to hold onto this way.” 

She squeezed his hand and held his gaze. “You won’t hear any complaints from me.” 

She sighed and closed her eyes as she let the side of her head rest on his jacket front. He was so fluid and gentle as he danced her around the floor; it was easy to forget the hundreds of others around them as he led her into a quick paced set of steps and turns. When the song ended, they stopped and simply looked warmly at one another for a moment before weaving through the other dancers toward their table. 

Persephone excused herself to the restroom, taking her purse with her from the table. There she met up with a surprisingly unwelcome sight: Hestia and Artemis. They were deep in conversation, sitting closely on an ottoman in the lounge of the ladies room. The pair didn’t notice her right away since they were facing away from the door. Persephone chose to move toward the restroom without them seeing her. Something in her wanted to avoid them but she wasn’t sure what it was. Realizing this, she felt ungrateful to them. Still, she didn’t want to speak with the ladies. As she walked past them though, she heard Hestia’s familiar, judgmental tone.

“...she’s young but it’s no excuse to date and kiss and drape herself...” 

Persephone blinked rapidly as she thought of the touching, kissing, dancing, and photographs from tonight. She knew it was about her behavior with Hades. A familiar wash of guilt and panic came over her. “Eternal maidens have no reason to date,” she admonished herself silently.

She moved forward without being seen. When she closed the door to her stall, she found herself looking at a small mirror that was hung for the occupant to use. The other Persephone was looking at her with her arms crossed and an angry, disappointed expression on her face. 

“You’re really just going to run away? Again? You think we’re meant to be spoken of in that way? You think we deserve to be ashamed of what we want and how we feel? Do you honestly, deep down believe that you’re doing anything dishonorable with Hades?” The reflection’s eyebrow rose up as she waited impatiently for Persephone to respond. When she didn’t immediately, she continued more forcefully, eyes blazing red, “We are powerful! We are glorious! You may not be ready to become one with me yet, but you’re wasting your time with those uptight brats. How much longer will you allow others to make choices for you? To make you feel shame for what is natural for you as a fertility goddess? The reflection snarled at her and Persephone’s eyes flashed red, her breath growing heavier. “We are not to be trifled with, ever! Yes, we’re a fertility goddess and there’s no shame in it, either. We can heal wounds and encourage life to grow all around us. The intimate side of us is just a silver lining. Embrace who you are! Allow yourself to grow and stop hiding behind other people’s wants for your own godsdamned life!” The other Persephone was practically pleading with her now. 

Something clicked into place with Persephone’s resolve. For the first time, she knew the other woman was right. “Why am I so ashamed of myself for wanting this? When did I decide that shunning love was right for me? I never thought of it that way.” Persephone wanted Hades right now and she didn’t want a life of forced solidarity. She was so tired of and hemming and hawing over her decision about committing to TGOEM. She was finished being spoken down to like a naughty child just because she felt love for a soul as beautiful as Hades’ was. She met her reflection’s gaze directly, “Oh gods, I’m in love with Hades.” 

The reflection gave her a genuine smile and learned closer to her. “Finally, you’re realizing your true self. So, what are you going to do about the eternal maidens?” 

She faded and Persephone was left to hurry her process and return to the lounge. There she found Hestia and Artemis talking together, just as they were a few minutes prior. She walked directly in front of their seat and the two stood to attention to watch as she stopped at a vanity mirror to sit and touch up her makeup and hair. 

Artemis spoke to her first, “Hi, Persephone. Don’t you look fresh as a spring daisy tonight?” Persephone briefly glanced over to her but ignored her friend as she continued her tasks. 

Hestia cleared her throat with a prim, “Ahem,” and then stepped closer to the mirror when Persephone didn’t respond to her either. Finished with her touch ups, she packed away her purse slowly and stood to address them. Her face was relaxed, not angry or happy. Her heart was pounding but she refused to give up what she knew she wanted for her own life. She forced her nerves away and committed herself mentally to holding her own against the older goddesses. 

Never one to avoid an opportunity to dress-down someone she viewed as a rule-breaker, Hestia cupped her hands and leaned over as though she was addressing a child. “ Kore, your behavior this evening has certainly been less than what we expect of a member of TGOEM. You’re so very young and we know you’re learning how to navigate life in Olympus. It’s such an intense life compared to that of honest farming and playing innocently in the fields with nymphs. Now, I know you’re working at Underworld Corp. as an internship but your duties to us must take precedence for the scholarship we gifted to you.”  
She paused for dramatic effect.

Persephone was too worked up by then to allow this attempted scolding to continue. “Hestia, I so appreciate all that you’ve done for me over the years. You’ve guided and supported me like a second mother. And Artemis, you’ve been a good friend and even opened your home to me.” The women beamed at her and seemed to relax a bit as they heard this from Persephone. She thought, “So they’re happy to hear me speak of their merits but they so easily forget mine and jump right to lording my scholarship over me.” She took a deep breath and smoothly spoke to them both once more, her gaze never wavering. “Hestia, I’m not the right candidate for eternal maidenhood nor did I ever belong in TGOEM. Since you’re worried about the scholarship money so much, you’ll be pleased to know that my internship will allow me to repay you in full by the end of the term.” The women seemed frozen in place and they obviously held their breaths for a few seconds.

Finally, Artemis shouted out, “Are freaking kidding me, Persephone! Have you gone insane? What else are you going to do with yourself? What happens when the God of the Dead is done with you? Huh? Maybe it’s tomorrow or maybe it’s next month but he will set you aside when he’s done with your innocence. You’re throwing away everything you’ve worked for just for him? You’re an idiot and you should be ashamed of yourself!” She was panting by the end of her speech. 

Hestia had the sense to look embarrassed as a few women hurried out of the room. She whisper-shouted, “Artemis, stop making a scene. That’s exactly the type of attention we don’t need. First all this from Kore tonight and now we risk a gossip tabloid hearing about us all arguing in the restroom. Keep it down!” She straightened her dress and then looked at Persephone again, sucking a noisy breath in through her nose and giving her a judgmental look. “If you don’t want to be in TGOEM, that’s your choice to make, Kore.” Her voice had changed and it now sounded more like shards of glass, too highly pitched for comfort. There was no warmth coming from the Goddess of the Hearth. “Hmm, but I do wonder how long your mother will allow you to remain away from the mortal realm once she hears of your decision. And of course that’s not to mention your recent...dalliance with the King of the Dead.” She tutted her tongue a few times and then continued, apparently feeling vindicated in her treatment of Persephone, “My dear, you’re going to have to forget about attending college…”

Persephone refused to let her eyes shift to red. She spoke gently, “I’m not considering my choice to leave TGOEM, Hestia, I’ve already made it. In case you missed it before, I’ll clarify. I hereby formally and permanently withdraw and renounce my candidacy for TGOEM. I’ll also be sharing this with Zeus and Hera, so don’t worry about having to pass that along to them. As I said, your scholarship money will be returned at the end of the semester, paid in full. It’s no longer your business to take interest in, but I’ll figure my own life out, just like every other being has always done since the beginning of time. Thank you for your concerns, though.” 

Artemis had been slowly seething with her hands balled into fists at her sides as she listened. Evidently having heard enough, she threw them up dramatically and screeched in rage before finally lowering them to her hips as she resumed shouting at Persephone. “And where do you plan on living while you finish the school term and work at your internship? Where will you be sleeping when you’re not throwing yourself at Hades and then who knows who all else once that ends? You certainly aren’t welcome in my home anymore. I don’t intend to be used as a crash-pad for times you’re not with your boyfriend.”

Persephone was surprised to hear Artemis be so cold to her, but she had known it was a possibility if she left the group. Still, thinking you might hear something unkind from a friend and looking them in the eye as they say it are very different. She could no longer hold back her anger, and she realized with a twinge of laughter, that she really didn’t want to anymore. She felt her eyes turn red as her expression turned defiant and one of her eyebrows crooked upwards. She was well aware of how much she was relishing the surprised expressions on their faces, and justified by them taking a few steps back from her. Persephone was still grinning wickedly and she practically purred when she spoke to them again. “I can see why it’s such a challenge for TGOEM to gain and keep members. You seem to enjoy using emotional manipulation and intimidation as your primary forms of recruitment. So, as much as I appreciate your concerns for my well being, you can take all of them and your weakly-veiled threats, and shove them up your virgin asses. We’re done here.”

Persephone turned and left the restroom with her purse in-hand. As the door closed behind her and the glamour of the gala surrounded her, the reality of her new situation hit her head-on, and she clutched it to her chest. She saw Eros heading toward her with a worried look on his face and decided then would be a good time to take a walk outside of the ballroom. She knew he could sense emotional stress so he had to know something major had just occurred. 

Keeping her eyes on her shoes as she walked so none of the other attendees would see her distress, she made her way to the closed doors of the ballroom. Outside, she began trembling all over. She stumbled her way to a door across the hall and found it mercifully unlocked. It appeared to be housing extra supplies for the gala but Persephone didn’t care. She was having enough trouble threading her thoughts together. She managed to set down her purse before leaning over a table and trying to catch her breath. Her shaking was only getting worse and now she was panting loudly, almost wheezing. From the hallway entered Eros with Hades and Psyche. 

Hades gasped and took long strides toward her. “Oh, Sweetness, what’s wrong?” 

He came to her side and knelt in front of her to be on her level. It was a habit of his that she found endearing but she couldn’t process it in the moment. She looked to him and fought against the tears threatening to fall but let go a sob that she couldn’t hold in any longer. She couldn’t speak. It was taking all of her focus to try and breathe properly. Everything seemed to be swirling and blurring around her and she still couldn’t breathe! Now the room seemed to be growing smaller and every sound and touch felt smothering. There just wasn’t enough air left in the building and it was all too loud!

Then, just as suddenly as it had been roaring, the space was calm and quiet. She felt still and wasn’t worried about anything. Her thoughts felt too simple for her to make sense of them, or to even want to try. She heard the sounds of talking around her and was aware of being touched but who it was didn’t concern her. Something cold was pressed to her neck and a glass to her mouth. She opened her eyes and sipped water as Psyche smiled gently at her. Though she accepted all this with muscle memory, nothing in her mind was making solid connections to who was nearby or why. The first phrase that really registered with her was Hades’ voice.

“How long has it been since we came in here?” 

It felt as though someone had suddenly turned up the volume on a speaker. She was aware now of Hades sitting on a chair and holding across his lap. Psyche was holding ice to her neck and urging her to drink water from a glass.  
Psyche answered him as she pulled the glass away from her friend’s face.

“Mmm, it’s only been a few minutes. She’ll be alright, King Hades. Something overwhelmed her is all. Look, her eyes are open now. She’s coming back to us.”

Persephone took a deep breath and felt relieved she was able to do so calmly again. She looked up to Hades and saw worry in his eyes, but some of it faded when he realized she was coherent again. “Hades, I...what happened?” She grasped his shoulder and pulled herself up a bit to look around the room. He kissed her temple and she leaned against him, still sitting up as much as she could. 

Eros was evidently keeping watch at the door but he turned around for a moment to wink at her. “Welcome back, Petal Power!” 

Psyche crooned to her as she fidgeted and tried to pull herself up further. “Easy, Persephone. Sit up slowly. Have some more water.” She handed her the glass and Persephone drank it sip by sip, happy to see her hands and body were no longer shaking. 

She looked back to Hades as she sat up a bit more. He spoke gently to her as he continued to hold her. She laced her fingers through his with their free hands and curled them against her chest. 

“Kore, you had a panic attack. A rather big one, I’d say. You blacked out for a minute so we’ve been trying to wake you up. Can you tell me what happened to upset you so much?”

She looked over to Psyche and her friend seemed to understand her need without being asked. She joined Eros at the door and told the pair they’d be waiting for them outside while keeping watch. Persephone sighed and sat up the reminder of the way until she could fully sit and face Hades. She let go of his hand slowly. Seated, he was much easier to look at and talk to she thought, but it was still a difficult story to tell. 

“Do you remember me telling you I wasn’t certain that I wanted to be in TGOEM? That I wasn’t sure it was ever my decision to begin with or just what I was expected to do with me life?”

Hades nodded to her and said, “That’s a lot of pressure.”

She bobbed her head and then put her hands on either side of her forehead and huffed out a breath. “Earlier, when I went to the restroom, there was a lounge just inside the door before you reached the actual facilities. I saw Hestia and Artemis there; huddled together, and I didn’t want to talk to them. It's weird. That was the first time I’d admitted it to myself: I don’t like being around Hestia. I don’t like how she treats me or makes me feel about myself.” Persephone paused again and fought tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She refused to cry about this. Hades reached out his hand, palm up, and she took them and felt grounded by his soothing warmth. “I decided I would just go on to the restrooms. As I walked by though, I overheard them speaking of my behavior tonight, as though I had been doing filthy things with you.”

Hades eyes widened and his mouth opened but he closed it and continued to listen. 

“And I just knew, I knew it wasn’t right for me. I’ve known for a long time, honestly, but that was the proverbial straw for me. I went back to tell them right then, but before I could tell them I wanted to leave TGOEM, they lectured me. Hestia threatened me with the idea of not finishing school, of my mother finding out, and of having to return to the mortal realm. Artemis told me I wasn’t welcome in her home anymore and she said some awful things about you, too, but I won’t repeat it.”

Hades blanched and turned his head to the side with his eyes closed tightly. “Oh, gods, Kore, no, I’m so sorry. This is all my-”

She didn’t let him finish the thought and stood to her feet. She knew he was quick to think the worst about himself; to place blame where it wasn’t earned. “Don’t you dare apologize for what we have come to mean to each other, Hades. Don’t blame yourself in this moment, this night, when I have been thinking this through since before I came to Olympus. This is my choice. Mine!” Hades was entranced with her when he saw her eyes flare red as she spoke to him. “It’s my choice for my life. Not yours. Not my mother’s. Not Hestia’s or anyone’s but mine. Period!” 

Hades couldn’t remain seated any longer. Her confidence, the determination in her eyes, the fortitude it took for her to stand up to Hesia and Artemis, together no less. It was beyond his wildest dreams for her. He’d known since the first week he’d met her that she had hidden strength inside her. Hearing her claim it for herself was glorious. He had held onto her as he stood and she was taking deep breaths to calm her emotions again. When she looked up at him, her eyes were back to normal. 

“Hades, here comes some more of that honesty I promised to share with you. I care about you. I care very deeply. And I’m happy when I’m with you. Happy doesn’t do justice to how I feel, really. Euphoric is a better fit. I’m not sophisticated enough to hide that from you or to try and play one of those games we both said we don’t like. What’s more, I don’t want to hide it anymore. This is all new for me but it’s wonderful. To me, it feels like everything I could ever want.” She blushed and chewed on her lip for a few seconds as Hades blushed and tried to remember how to breathe. “I don’t know what will happen with you. Everyone likes to point out to me how young I am. So, maybe this will happen for us, maybe it won’t. Maybe I’ll simply be alone.” She shrugged and gripped his hands in a squeeze as she smiled. “What I do know is that I’m done with TGOEM. I don’t want to box myself up for the rest of my immortal life. I don’t need to belong to a group that can only get me to stay with them by threatening and belittling me. That’s my choice and I’ve made it. So, please don’t take that away from me by saying it’s your fault, because it’s not.”

Hades was reeling from what he’d just heard. He’d been so afraid of scaring off his Little Goddess that he hadn’t realized there was little danger of that happening. Now he was hearing her say to him almost exactly what he’d said to Minthe when it was time for him to end their toxic relationship. It was strange to think of TGOEM in that light, but the parallels were hard to ignore. Not trusting himself to delve into all that she had shared about her feelings, he instead asked her, “Did they accept your decision? Do you think there will need to be more discussion about it after tonight?”

Persephone blushed and avoided his gaze with a sheepish grin on her face. “Um, heh, no. I’m pretty certain they know I meant business.”

Hades grinned and pulled her closer to him, forcing her to meet his gaze with a crinkle to his eyes. “Why is that, Miss Kore?”

After squirming in her shoes, she finally admitted in a rush, “I told them to take their weakly-veiled threats and shove them up their virgin asses.”

Hades rocked back on his heels and stumbled to regain his balance before gulping in air so he could throw back his head and laugh. Eros and Psyche came back into the room looking bewildered at the change in mood. Soon all of them were in hysterics over what their precious flower goddess had said.

When they settled down once more, Eros tapped his cheek. “I hate to say it, but we’ve been in here for at least fifteen minutes now. People are going to get suspicious if they aren’t already. I think we should all walk back in together, laughing. You know, make a show of it. Make it look like we took a couples’ walk outside or something. Squash that ruinous rumour mill, know what I mean?” He bounced his eyebrows for emphasis and the group agreed. 

A few minutes later, they strolled into the ballroom grinning and laughing. Psyche was speaking with Persephone while Hades chatted with his nephew. The men grabbed fresh flutes of champagne and met their partners by the silent auction tables where they paired back off with comments about how fun it was to visit with each other outside. 

Poseidon and Trite approached them and accepted their excuse for disappearing. Posie pointed out that they had missed the second act. Hades pretended to be upset by this and asked how it was. “It was awesome, big bro! Slam poetry aimed at each of the realms one by one. All in good taste and fun, of course. Still, it was hilarious!” 

Trite giggled in agreement. “And Hades, you’ll be thrilled to know that the winning bid for the donation was thirty thousand drachma. Has it ever gone that high before?”

Hades whistled and beamed, “That’s fantastic! No, I’d say that’s the highest single donation we’ve ever received at a gala event. Will you show me who won the bid and I’ll go thank them?” Trite agreed and they turned to look at their partners before heading off together.

Poseidon held a hand out to Persephone, asking her if she’d like to dance with him. She agreed and smiled at Hades before he walked away. The pair kept more distance between them than she had with Hades and it was a comfortable dance for conversation. 

Posie was a relaxed person and it made her open up to him when he asked, “I know the basics about you, Kore, but how about you tell me how things are going with my brother?”

She laughed and smiled at him, feeling nonplussed. She could feel that he genuinely cared and wasn’t trying to be rude. “I like your honest style, Poseidon.” He smiled at her and nodded as they continued to dance. “Today seems like it’s been happening over a lifetime, honestly. We’ve been spending more time together recently, but now we’ve reached a point of being honest and open together. I care for him a great deal. Hades is so thoughtful and holds such a unique view of the world. He’s an amazing person who is so deserving of love and happiness even if he doesn’t always think that for himself. I want to see what that can be like for him with me at his side. I’m happy when I’m near him and I think he is too.”

Poseidon watered up just a little when she said this and shook his head as though trying to clear away his emotions. “You’re exactly right about him, you know? He presents a hard shell, but he’s really quite fragile most of the time. I love my big brother, always have. He’s not his own biggest fan and it’s tough to get close to him. You seem to have done better in months than the rest of us have in millenia. Thank you.” As he sniffed and regained control of himself, he added playfully, “That is, when the lumbering blueberry isn’t terrifying the wicked souls he has to punish for eternity. He’s a complex god.” The both laughed at this as the song ended. Poseidon bowed to Persephone as she curtsied and then he walked her to Hades and Trite. He kissed her hand and said to his brother without a trace of humor, “Your queen, King Hades.” With that, he swept Trite into a romantic twirl and they disappeared into the dancing crowd. 

Hades whimpered slightly and Persephone chose to ignore it. Whatever he was thinking through in his mind, she’d leave him to it for now. “Oh, Hades, can we look at more of the silent auction items, please? I don’t want to bid but I’d like to see what all is here. I’m curious.” 

“Of course, Little Goddess.” Hades laced their fingers again and the pair looked over each of the items. They enjoyed commenting on them together and pointing out the selections they liked best--spa packages, travel packages, artwork, antiques, and all manner of desirable items were there.

They had walked past several large and elaborate pieces of jewelry that neither had commented on with any interest. As they stood before the last section, a necklace in an unusual shape caught Persephone’s attention. It was set with red stones and she picked it up to look at it more closely. 

“What is this shape? Oh, it’s a pomegranate! How darling! It’s almost like a snowdrop flower.” She grinned happily, and carefully placed the necklace back down before moving forward to the rest of the items. Hades shook his head in wonder at her. She seemed to have liked the necklace but she didn’t ask him to get it for her. He couldn’t imagine any other woman he’d been around doing the same. Persephone knew he was the God of Wealth; knew he could easily purchase the whole room for her. Yet, she didn’t even hint at asking him to get it for her. She’d not even let her buy lunch that day. It was refreshing, especially when he saw her sneaking a glance back at the necklace twice before they returned to their seats at the table. Her appreciation for the piece seemed to be more than some passing interest. Her lack of selfishness was beautiful. 

Hera and Zeus were sitting close together and looking more than a little tipsy. Athena was hurrying to eat the last bites of a dinner plate someone had provided to her. 

Hecate, as always, looked like a cat who caught a canary. “Persephone, my darling, I’m certain you’ll be heartbroken to know that you’ve just missed Hestia.” Her yellow eyes twinkled with mischief.

Persephone felt a moment of fear as she thought about what Hestia might have shared with her already. Of course, she shouldn’t have worried. Athena gulped down a glass of tea and quickly wiped her mouth before bounding over to hug Persephone. 

“Hi there, girly! I’m always around if you need me. I hope we can still be friends. Honestly, I figured this was going to happen sooner or later, and I’m happy for you. We each have different paths to tread and yours is not the same as TGOEM’s.” 

Persephone reached up and hugged her tightly. “Oh, Athena, thank you! Of course we’re still friends! As I’ve always said, you really are the best of us all. How about we get together with Psyche and Eros next week and do some baking?” She smiled at her friend.

“Ooh, yes! We’re on! I’ll bring the wine and do the eating, you teach the baking! Text me!” With that, Athena hurried toward the stage area once more and Persephone was left to sigh in relief as Hades rubbed her back encouragingly.

The lights dimmed and everyone took their seats. A soloist came to the stage and performed an electric opera piece that had everyone enthralled. 

“Wowza!” Zeus exclaimed as it came to an end and the lights came up for bidding. As Athena called the start, he offered a strong staring sum. “That was inspiring, don’t you think?” he asked of the table’s occupants. 

Hera rolled her eyes at her husband and sipped her cocktail bitterly. “Which part, Zeus, the woman’s voice or her physical attributes?” 

Zeus looked down at his wife and rolled his eyes but kept bidding. Hera began hissing comments to him and Persephone remembered the uncomfortable dinner with them several weeks prior. Hades had been right that they always argued. 

Amphitrite turned away from the argument and seemed exhausted by it. Persephone saw Poseidon reach over to Trite and smooth his hand over her stomach. The two locked eyes, he flicked his head toward the door, and the pair rose to leave for a walk. Trite spoke before anyone else could, addressing the table, “I’m so stiff and restless these days, everyone. Please excuse us.” 

Persephone decided in that moment that Trite was clever and someone she definitely wanted to get to know better. She thought, “What a smooth way to escape family drama.” 

Poseidon smiled and put his arm around his wife after leaning close to Zeus and grinding out to him, “Pay attention to your wife, you moron.”

Zeus responded to this by placing another bid. Hades growled out, “Zeus, sit down. Fates! You know we don’t bid on these acts. You’re making a scene.”

“Ugh, fine, who cares about this crap anyway?” Zeus tossed his bidding paddle to the table and sat down gracefully, ignoring Hera’s scathing look.

Persephone gasped audibly at his callous regard for his brother’s hard work. Her words were out of her mouth before she even knew they were on her tongue. “I do.”

Zeus looked pointedly at her over Hera’s head. “You do what?”

Persephone smiled sweetly but looked the King of the Gods in the eye and said clearly, “I care about this event that your brother works so hard to host each year for the benefit of those who need help in each of the realms.”

Zeus didn’t immediately respond but Persephone noticed sparks igniting in his hair when she finished speaking. After what seemed a lifetime, he let out a chuckle followed by a genuine laugh. 

“Oh, Hades, man, you are in for it! Persephone, I admire your zest and zeal. Few dare to talk back to me. Honestly, it’s refreshing. Just don’t make it a habit and I can foresee us getting along swimmingly.”

Hades and Persephone glanced at each other in silent relief. She could have been on the receiving end of Zeus’ childish temper but had luckily amused him instead. 

She and Hades danced together again soon after, swapping partners for a second go around with Eros and Psyche. Persephone filled him in on what had happened with Artemis and Hestia, as well as let him know that she was staying with Hades for the night. 

Seeing his eyes dilate with excitement, she added to this, “I’ll be in a guestroom, Eros. Don’t lose any more of that perfect plumage over nothing!” 

He rolled his eyes at her but kept dancing. “Oh, Cinnamon, your decisions are completely your own now. I refuse to excuse myself for being excited for you. I am the God of Physical Love so it’s in my nature to feel it. You are a fertility goddess, Persephone. I didn’t want to confirm it for you before you made your choice about TGOEM, but I’ve known since I met you. You’ve been forced to think as they do about intimacy, but you don’t have to continue down that path anymore. The reins are yours to take a hold of now. Decide what you want, don’t apologize for your desires, and act on them however you feel is right for you.” He spun her around as they continued moving.

Persephone squeezed his hand and nodded to him. They were silent for a few moments as they danced. Persephone looked at him and smirked, “You’re very bossy sometimes, my friend.”

Eros bobbed his head around confidently and retorted, “Don’t I know it! That’s what makes me your best friend, Pinky. I won’t stand quietly by and let you suffer, even if it takes me gettin’ sassy!”

The next performances were highly entertaining and Persephone enjoyed her time with Hades. Hera and Zeus were back to cuddling together which kept the table discussions light and fun. She found Hecate could be hilarious when she wanted and more than once she was in stitches. Poseidon and Trite seemed like newlyweds to her but she learned they’d been together for over a thousand years. It was inspiring to see their obvious devotion for each other, even if it was common knowledge that their intimate life was nontraditional. She had wondered what their dynamic would be like after learning this several weeks ago, but it clearly worked well for them. 

Finally, she knew it was almost time to prepare for her own act and so she relished in the feel of Hades’ arms around her as they danced together one last time for the night. When she spied Eros and Psyche at the edge of the floor waiting patiently for her, she pulled Hades down for a gentle kiss and then stepped away from him. 

Persephone knew that she was ready to close the chapter of her life that dealt with Apollo. That shitty little sungod was going to leave her alone after tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me a review and thank you for reading my story.


	4. Lemons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Psyche and Persephone perform their song. Apollo tries to gain the upper hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 has been updated slightly so that Poseidon and Amphitrite remain at the gala. Thank you for the feedback that you were disappointed about them having left before Persephone's performance. 
> 
> The song lyrics to “Lemons” by Brye have been tweaked to fit the story. If you haven’t heard it yet, it’s an amazing piece of work with a unique sound that I fell in love with the first time I heard it. I actually listened to it on repeat that day and started thinking up this story because of it.
> 
> I do not own any rights to Lore Olympus. That honor goes to the talented Rachel Smythe. I don't own any rights to the song Lemons. That honor goes to Brye Sebring.
> 
> Content warning: This story deals with Persephone moving on with her life after Apollo assaults and continues to approach her. There will be discussions that allude to her assault having occurred and possibly some verbal and physical altercations about Apollo's behavior. Do not read this story if you are sensitive to this topic or fear you may be triggered by it.

There was little to do in terms of preparations for their performance at that point. Eros was standing to the side of the stage for moral support. The orchestra already knew the song he’d written to fit what Persephone wanted to but couldn’t say to Apollo’s face. Psyche would be singing with her to support the lead vocals with some dynamic sections of her own. They had decided to sing side by side, neither in front or behind the other. 

“We’re both strong women,” Persephone had told her friend during their first rehearsal. “We’ll do this together or not at all. I want this to be your song as much as it is mine.” Psyche had agreed happily.

Now, standing beside each other, wearing little bluetooth microphones and trying their best to ignore the quieting murmur from the 500 guests around the room, the women squeezed hands once and then stood in solidarity as they waited to begin. They were going to show their courage tonight--Psyche for being mortal and with a god and Persephone for not being a victim anymore.

When the stage lights began to glow and the first string plucks came through simply and clearly, the guests fell to silence. It was such a departure from the other acts of the evening that they held everyone’s attention immediately. 

The lighting had been designed during rehearsals to build and drop quickly with the flow of the song, all in shades of bright, lemony yellows. Each time the chorus was sung, the stage would darken so the canned stage lights could be rotated and shine in tempo with the music to highlight the wispy trees around the stage. For this, Persephone used her powers to grow increasingly larger and more delectable lemons from their branches. The effect had impressed Hades’ event planner and the same proved true of the gala attendees. 

Persephone began singing right on cue and Psyche was there to support her each step of the way. The women were flawless in their execution, both finding it easier to enjoy themselves after they’d begun. While they didn’t walk around the stage space, their arms and expressions mixed with the lights and music to captivate everyone.

(Persephone)  
There's a billion people on this planet that you could bother  
But for some reason you chose me  
You wish I could give the attention that you ordered  
But I just don't have the energy  
And maybe I'm the one who's being over-dramatic  
But I don't think so  
I do know for a fact, though, that you're a definite coward  
And I think that it’s time for you to go

You're a sour little boy  
With a fragile masculinity  
You saw me as your toy  
When I wasn’t, you abused me  
You're a sour little boy  
Absolutely no fun  
You see me as your toy  
But I won’t, so you throw a big tantrum

(Persephone and Psyche)  
When life gives you lemons (L-E-M)  
You don't make lemonade (O-N-S)  
You use them to make girls cry (L-E-M-O-N-S)  
You take those lemons (L-E-M)  
No sugar at all (O-N-S)  
And you squirt it right into our eyes (L-E-M-O-N-S)  
When life gives you lemons  
You don't make lemonade  
You use them to make girls cry  
You take those lemons  
No sugar at all  
And you squirt it right into our eyes  
When life gives you lemons  
You don't make lemonade  
You use them to make girls cry  
You take those lemons  
No sugar at all  
And you squirt it right into our eyes

(Persephone)  
I've tried to remain patient with your stupid shenanigans  
But you've given me no other choice  
You tried to knock me over by acting like you're above me  
And pretending that I don't have a voice  
And I don't wanna encourage your abusive behavior  
But I just can't let you win  
I'm legitimately tired of being walked all over  
By an insecure baby who thinks that he’s a man 

You're a sour little boy  
With a fragile masculinity  
You saw me as your toy  
When I wasn't, you abused me  
You're a sour little boy  
Absolutely no fun  
You see me as your toy  
But I won’t, so you throw a big tantrum

(Persephone and Psyche)  
When life gives you lemons  
You don't make lemonade  
You use them to make girls cry  
You take those lemons—with no sugar at all  
And you squirt it right into our eyes  
When life gives you lemons, you don't make lemonade  
You use them to make girls cry  
You take those lemons  
No sugar at all  
And you squirt it right into our eyes

(L-E-M-O-N-S)  
Sour little boy  
(L-E-M-O-N-S)  
(L-E-M—)  
Fragile masculinity  
(L-E-M-O-N-S)  
(L-E-M-O-N-S)  
(L-E-M-O-N-S)  
Squirt it right into our eyes

As the last section of lyrics were sung, the stage lights rose to their brightest levels yet. Everything ended at the same moment: the lights fell to complete darkness, the music stopped, and Persephoe spoke the last word. Immediately she had each lemon she had grown disappear with a colorful burst of shimmer and color.

The crowd thundered out applause and the lighting returned to normal as Persephone and Psyche hugged and laughed together, unsure of how to respond to so much attention in the moment. Several women in the crowd stood and clapped for them, and Persephone realized that she clearly wasn’t alone in her struggle with men like Apollo. A few ladies even whistled to them and shouted out positives in support. 

“Woooo!”

“Yes!”

“That’s right!” 

Persephone was buzzing from the thrill of performing and the build up of nerves she’s experienced that were now fading away. She was thrumming with energy from the crowd and how well they were responding to the song. But all she could think about in the moment was that she wanted to share her joy with Hades. She hadn’t been able to see more than the first two rows of tables during her performance because of the lighting, but now she scanned the crowd looking for him. She still couldn’t locate him with so many guests standing and applauding but she knew she’d see him soon enough. She gave Psyche’s hand a squeeze and the two laughed again. They were soon joined by the event planner who quickly disconnected and retrieved their microphones. As the applause died down, Athena returned and addressed the room. 

“Wasn’t that amazing? Well done, ladies! I do wish you’d kept the lemons. I was planning to take some home with me.” 

The audience chuckled at Athena’s joke and Persephone played into it, still riding high from her performance and the warm reaction they’d received for it. She stepped forward and created five perfect lemons for her, and Athena made a show of finding space to pocket each of them. She giggled with the audience and said, “Oh, this is quite a treat! I’ll be baking for days now. No one is invited to stop by my house, though, this will be a private feast.”

The audience laughed again at the scene before them. “Hey, not cool!” was heard in a grumbling voice that sounded a lot like Poseidon. This was quickly followed by a shout from someone who sounded like Zeus. “Calm down, Fish Sticks!”

The entire room was in hysterics for a bit before donation bidding began with a flurry of excitement. Persephone and Psyche were surprised to see so many attendees with their paddles in the air. More surprising still was that Hermes was the highest bidder in the end. His scarlet hair was as wild as ever, and the god seemed determined to outbid everyone else. Their song brought in thirty eight thousand drachma and Hermes was puffed out like a peacock. 

Persephone was thrilled by this but her heart clenched and skipped a beat when she saw that he was sharing a table with Artemis and Apollo. And Apollo was looking daggers at Persephone with his odd yellow eyes. She pushed her jolt of fear away to relish in his misery. After all, any mud he felt on his face was well deserved, and exactly where she wanted it to be. It was incredibly satisfying to watch him twisting in front of her and she grinned maliciously to herself. A look at Psyche’s expression told her she was pleased by this change, too.

Athena invited the performers from throughout the evening to come back to the stage area a final time--nine groups in all. She asked for applause for everyone and the audience gave them a standing ovation. 

Persephone hadn’t been keeping up with the specific donation amounts from the night so she was thrilled to hear Athena announce, “Thus far tonight, these nine performances have brought in over two hundred thousand drachma that will go toward helping women and children across the three realms begin their lives anew. Thank you so much to you all. You’re welcome to return to your seats for the final part of the night.” She began introducing a video about the work done during the last year to support needs, thus providing time for everyone to leave the stage and return to their seats without an awkward pause. 

Eros scooped Psyche up into his arms for a hug before setting her back down for a kiss at the side of the stage. Looking between them he gushed, “Ladies, you were fantastic up there! Even I was blown away to see it all come together with the full effect!” He hugged Persephone and told her she was to meet Hades by the silent auction tables before he walked away with Psyche. 

Gleefully, Persephone turned on her heels and walked off to find him. It was eating her up that she hadn’t been able to spot him yet. She saw him immediately since everyone else was seated at their tables. He was standing alone and still, watching her approach him. 

Persephone felt her skin flushing and her heartbeat speeding up again. She could make out that his eyes were glowing increasingly brighter the nearer she came to him. She wasn’t sure what that meant in the moment. She’d seen them like this when he was angry but also when he was flirting heavily with her. She had never anticipated him being her date to the gala, so his reaction to her performance wasn’t something she’d counted on handling tonight. 

When she was close enough, he reached for her hands to pull her into a tight embrace for a long moment before releasing her slightly, keeping his arms wrapped around her lower back gently. She leaned back to look at him, still beaming with excitement, and raised her eyebrow at him playfully.

“King Hades, what’s your verdict?” She smirked sweetly. 

He chuckled deeply and sighed at this but his voice was unsteady when he spoke to her, almost a whisper. “Persephone, that was glorious. It was mesmerizing and you, you were so powerful up there. I’ve never seen anything quite like that.” His eyes burned even brighter as he finished. 

Persephone could tell he was pleased to be holding her and certainly he sounded happy about her song. But his eyes were still glowing and she wasn’t sure what to make of it. 

“Your eyes. Hades, you… are you upset? I can’t read you right now.” She wasn’t nervous. She felt safe and wanted in his arms, he was telling her how much he’d liked her performance, and she didn’t want to be anywhere else but where she was right then. She didn’t care that everyone in the three realms could see them if they simply looked their way. 

Hades coughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Upset? Oh, no! No, no, I’m definitely not upset with you.” He looked away from her and was silent for a few seconds before he admitted, “I really enjoyed your performance. I came back here to take a breather. I’m sorry if that..isn’t something you’re comfortable hearing.” 

Persephone had watched him blush as he told her he wasn’t upset and had enjoyed her performance. She knew she was missing something in what he was saying and she cursed herself for it. Knowing she would likely be embarrassing herself, she asked him, “Why would I not want to hear you say you enjoyed it?”

He rocked backward and forward on his shoes as he stared at the ceiling and puffed out a breath. “Oh, gods, Kore. I was very...excited watching you perform. Your confidence, using your powers, all of it.” He dropped his head into his palm and wrapped his other arm around his chest, embarrassment written all over his body language. “I couldn’t sit at that table and wait for you to come back and sit next to me like some starving wolf. I needed to cool off a bit.”

It took her a few moments to understand what he was implying. “Oooooooh.” She thought about how she felt being so near to him all night, how much she had wanted to get back to him after leaving the stage. She reached up and pushed away his hand so that he was looking at her again. In response to his worry, she tugged his head down to her gently, and pressed their foreheads and noses together. “No, definitely not upset to hear you say that.”

Hades took a calming breath and lifted his head a bit to see her face. “I’m still sorry for it and embarrassed. I’ve made my feelings for you clear but I’m not going to ever push for more than I know you want. You’re in charge of every step we take down this path. You can always tell me to back away from you or to leave you alone completely. I’ll respect your wishes.”

She smiled at him and straightened. “I’ve never worried you would do anything less than that for me. I trust you, Hades. You’re right, I’m not ready for what we’re talking about. Yet. Not ready yet. Interested, yes. With you only. I’m just going to need some time to figure myself out now that I have so many changes happening all at once.” Against her wishes, she felt her eyes brimming with tears. 

Hades gave her a lopsided grin. “That’s the best part of immortality, though, we have all the time we need. I’m not going anywhere, Little Goddess. I’m only interested in you, too. There’s no pressure. I promise.” 

She swiped at the tears on her cheeks softly and sniffled quietly. “Thank you. That alone means the world to me.”

Hades’ eyes drew together in worry. “I still want to know your story.” He was still so gentle as he spoke to her. “I’m going to ask about that tonight when we get home. Are you still willing to share with me?”

She pulled back and he did the same. His eyes were calmer now, almost back to his usual shade. Persephone looped her arm though his and turned toward their table and the crowd of attendees. “I trust you, Hades. I made a promise to you and it’s one I’ll keep. I want to be honest and open with you about this and anything else you want to know. May I still stay in a guestroom at your house tonight so we can talk it through? It’s a long story and I don’t want to keep Eros and Psyche waiting for me or to fly home alone that late.” 

Hades nodded, “Of course. You’re always welcome to my bed.” He blanched and Persephone tried to keep herself from giggling at him. “Room bed! Bedroom. Fates! I mean you’re welcome to stay anytime.” 

Persephone patted his hand and smiled at him. “I know what you meant. It’s okay. How about some more gimlets and scotch at the table?”

Hades laughed off his nerves and smiled again, his playfulness returning. “You’ll be pleased to know that I had fresh ones delivered to the table while you were getting ready to perform. Shall we, Little Goddess?” He drawled out the invitation to walk to the table with a dramatic sweep of his free arm and she happily nodded in agreement. 

She smiled at him and they made their way to their seats as the final few words of the film played. Hera and Zeus silently clapped at her and smiled. Posie, who was in the middle of devouring a plate of all-yellow desserts, gave her a goofy but sweet smile with a lemon bar in his teeth and two thumbs-up. Trite blew her a kiss and then stole a treat from her husband’s plate, earning her a menacing glare from him. She glared directly back and the two laughed and kissed. 

As the lights came back to normal in the ballroom, Hecate made over Persephone. “My dear, what a powerful song! I just loved the sound of it! Excellent message, too!”

Persephone thanked her for the support and then Hecate rose from her seat. “I think it’s time for more bubbles, my lovelies.” Everyone agreed and she moved off to procure champagne.

Persephone sipped at her cocktail quietly for a minute and was a bit surprised to feel Hera’s hand grip her own and give her a tight squeeze. She looked to her and knew she’d found her own meaning in the lyrics. Zeus wasn’t one for physical or sexual abuse of his wife, but mental was another matter all together. Persephone met her gaze and squeezed back just as tightly. They parted when Athena walked onstage and spoke again.

“As you can see, a lot of great work has been done and continues to be needed. That’s where we come in. So, now comes everyone’s favorite part of the night. Well, not your accountants’ but they weren’t invited.” Laughter and applause surrounded the room. Athena raised her hand and signaled the orchestra to give her a drum roll. “All right everyone, I hope you’ve been to the open bar like Uncle Hades suggested because it’s time to reach down deep and imagine all the great things your money can do. Who will start the bidding at one hundred thousand drachma?” 

Persephone spoke loudly to Hades over the noise in the ballroom as guests talked, bid, and called out to keep pace with the rapid speed of the process. “This is insane! It’s hard to imagine someone giving more than what they already have tonight.”

Hades grinned at her but kept his eye on the bidding progress. “It does a lot of good and everyone knows it. Plus…” Hades trailed off as he waited for the bids to go higher than where they were currently. He put his hand over his bidding paddle and lost his train of thought as she waited patiently. 

Athena kept speaking as fast as she could while pointing to bidders around the room. “...Alright, I have two hundred fifty thou…”

Persephone laughed when he looked back to her with relief on his face. “Plus...let me guess, the top bidder of the night gets bragging rights?”

He winked at her and laughed. “It’s never been an issue, but we at this table have an agreement to never let the final bid go below five hundred thousand drachma. Generally we don’t have to get involved in the betting at all, but when we do, others jump in again. It’s too easy for us, honestly, it just doesn’t feel right, and people get irritated when we do participate. It’s just better if we don’t. That’s why we don’t bid on the acts and we give our donations in private before the gala night.”

“...three hundred fifty thousand...”

Persephone smiled at him as he returned to watching the bidding, knowing he meant what he said and that he wasn’t trying to be flashy or a braggart about his wealth as a king. Then she thought of something he’d said earlier. “But Hades, you told me earlier you wouldn’t let my act go without your donation. Did you bid on it?”

“...who’ll give four hundred fifty...”

He chuckled, “I’ll be honest, I would have if Posie and I hadn’t made such a fuss about Zeus doing the same thing for that opera singer. For you, I’ll always break the rules. However, you can rest assured that I wouldn’t have let it go without any bids. Not that you needed to worry. You brought the house down. You’re now the highest single donation we’ve ever had for a gala act; you even broke the new record that was made earlier tonight. No small feat, Little Goddess. And you have tiny toes!”

“...five hundred thousand…”

She laughed at his corny joke but gave his arm a squeeze. She suddenly realized how much money they had been talking about for the charity and said, “Oh my gods! At least five hundred thousand for the final bid of the night, two hundred thousand for the acts from those highest bidders, plus the private donations, and the silent auction items on top of it all. No matter the motivation, it’s going to be wonderful for the charity! Hades, this is all so genius!”

“...six hundred thousand...who’ll give six hundred twenty five..”

He casually tossed his paddle to the table and reached down to squeeze her hand as he smiled at her. “I promise you, the first several of these weren’t as enjoyable or successful as this one. It took me years of working with various event planners to find one I liked and who knew how to set us up for a profitable donations night.”

Zeus chimed in drunkenly, “The first one, I honestly think some of the guests were trying to cost you money instead of donating it. Jackals. You deserved so much better, you big beautiful blueberry.”

Persephone snickered into her glass as she polished off her gimlet. “Oh, it couldn’t have been that bad.”

Hades and everyone else at the table made small in-agreement noises, causing a fresh round of laughter. “No way it was that horrible, I don’t believe you!” 

Hades made a sour face and admitted, “Um, it was pretty bad. I’ll put it this way: no entertainment other than Apollo and his damn lyre, no air conditioning, hell, not even a breeze because it was inside a tent without fans, grass and dirt floor, and no dance floor.”

Amphitrite giggled, “Oh gods, there were so many bugs!”

Posie added his two cents to push the group over the edge into full peals of laughter. “We had to get Hermes to flit around and try to squash them or catch them. That brainiac overshot his mark so many times that he smashed half the food and drinks, and he knocked over a corner tent support.”

Hecate returned with four bottles of champagne and began opening them to distribute around the table. Persephone stood and leaned forward to accept one from her, but she froze mid-return when she saw Apollo standing and aggressively bidding against all others in the room. He was several tables away, behind Hecate, but even from this distance she could see his eyes glowing. Artemis and Hermès seemed to be encouraging him. 

“...who will bid seven hundred thousand…”

She felt Hades take the bottle from her hands and tug her gently to her seat. She realized she’d stood still too long. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Apollo. Her anger was growing like a weed. She knew her eyes were shifting. Hades poured her a glass and she drank it down quickly, not even tasting the fine flavor. 

“Kore, what’s wrong?”

She was still staring toward Apollo and he met her eyes from their distance apart. He raised his bidding paddle and committed to the higher amount again, smirking. Everything about his body language was challenging to her, taunting her. 

“...who’ll give seven hundred fifty…”

Hades was rubbing her back now and she looked up at him. He didn’t flinch away from her wild look or her now ringed and deep red eyes. He whispered, “Talk to me. Trust me.”

Small tendrils of red vines made their way from the crown of her head and wrapped around her hair like a thorny crown. 

The kings and their wives were too enamored with each other and their champagne riddled flirting to notice Persephone’s state. Hecate did, though. Her yellow eyes looked behind her and fixed on Apollo.

“...eight hundred fifty thousand…”

A few more looks between Persephone and the God of Music told her what the song had made her suspect. Now she was watching her young friend stare down her tormentor after a glorious moment of self-confidence. 

“No, not going to happen.” Hecate gritted her teeth and looked to her oldest friend. “Hades,” she spoke darkly.

“...nine hundred thousand..”

Hades jerked his head to look at Hecate. Her eyes were glinting with malice but eons of experience with her punishments told him it wasn’t directed toward him. Curious, he focused on her words as he continued to soothe Persephone who was still not speaking. 

“Hades, my friend. You should not allow that purple, bratty excuse for a god to win this bidding round.”

Hades looked confused. “Why does he matter?”

Hecate’s face turned wicked. “Because, Boss. I smell lemons. And I smell a rat.”


	5. Lemonade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persephone and Hades deal with Apollo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any rights to Lore Olympus. That honor goes to the talented Rachel Smythe. I don't own any rights to the song Lemons. That honor goes to Brye Sebring.
> 
> Content warning: This story deals with Persephone moving on with her life after Apollo assaults and continues to approach her. There will be discussions that allude to her assault having occurred and possibly some verbal and physical altercations about Apollo's behavior. Do not read this story if you are sensitive to this topic or fear you may be triggered by it.

Hades’s hand stilled on Persephone’s back as those words looped over and over again in his mind. “I smell lemons. And I smell a rat.” Hecate’s piercing gaze held his rapt attention, and an icy dread was crawling its way through his nerves. She motioned toward Apollo with a flick of her head. 

Hades squinted over her shoulder to where she’d indicated, but couldn’t make out more than a purple blur hovering around a table. He rapidly produced his glasses, shoved them onto his nose, and looked at the pompous god standing by his seat, some ten or fifteen yards away from their table. 

“...nine hundred twenty five…”

Apollo was bidding intensely and gesticulating wildly. Looking back to Persephone, Hades saw fury, pain, and exasperation playing out on her petite face as she sat rigid in her chair beside him, her body beginning to shake with it. Her scarlet eyes were locked on Apollo as more and more vines wrapped through her hair. Following her line of sight, Hades clearly saw the jackass taunting her with a smirk on his face and a childish wiggle of his bidding paddle tilted in her direction.

The wheels in Hades’ head were drawing some ominous conclusions from his previous fears from the day. He felt the alcohol and food from the night churning in his gut. Sweat was beading on his brow and his body began flushing shades of midnight as his breath began coming out in bursts. His emotions were beginning to boil and he had to force himself to concentrate on what Persephone needed and wanted. If not, he had no doubt he’d soon have the room bathed in the sungod’s ichor, even if he didn’t know the whole story yet. Persephone’s current state was enough to warrant it in his opinion. 

“No, no, no!” He self-admonished. “Get your shit together! Do it for Kore. She needs you.” He made himself focus and compartmentalize his anger. His skin tone stabilized and he was able to think clearly once more.

“...nine hundred fifty…” 

He could see that Athena was still accepting multiple bids from around the room. He had a little time.

“Persephone, look at me.” His voice was firm even though he was speaking gently to her. It took a few seconds but she did as he asked. While she didn’t relax at all, her livid gaze softened just a fraction. “I see your anguish and I want to help. Kore, tell me what you want. What do you need? Tell me and it’s yours. Anything.”

Persephone was enraged by Apollo’s mocking behavior. The rational part of her was almost silent, but enough of it was there to keep her from making a complete scene. She knew she couldn’t confront Apollo in the midst of a charity event. It wasn’t an option, even if the entire pantheon wasn’t present that night, there were hundreds of other powerful and influential beings there. It was all she could do to refrain from rushing him to rip the smug expression off his face, her desire for vengeance was at such a peak. Still, she wanted him to suffer. She wanted him to pay for what he had done to her. 

“...nine hundred seventy five…”

Hades could see hesitation playing out across her features as she looked at him but remained silent. He was well versed with internal battles and wished nothing more than to whisk hers away. But reality never worked easily, so she had to make a choice. 

“Persephone. Persephone, talk to me. It doesn’t have to be fully formed, just speak. A word or two will suffice.”

She took a quivering breath and ground out, “I hate him.” She reached down and gripped the edges of her seat with fingers that looked more like claws than nails. 

“You mean Apollo?” He asked only to be certain; there was no time for misunderstandings or errors. 

Persephone’s teeth had the look of razor cut edges when she hissed out to him, “Apollo doesn’t get to win.”

Hades didn’t question her meaning. His own physical reaction was too similar to hers to misinterpret her bloodlust. He just stood from his chair immediately and started thinking through his available options. “You obviously can’t allow her to take the vengeance she wants right here and now. Useless excuse of a king! Fuck fuck fuck! Think godsdamit!” 

He looked to Hecate and saw her awaiting his instructions, perched at the edge of her seat. He motioned for her to come to his side of the table. She leaned in to listen to him speak quietly to her. “Sit here with her. Glamour her. Make it so no one will notice a change in her state. I don’t want her having to answer questions right now. It’s a miracle no one has noticed and jumped on her yet.” 

“Hades, don’t worry, no one but us can see this. I made certain with a glamour right after I noticed. All anyone can see is Persephone happily watching the bidding and sipping champagne. I’ll stay with her, you go deal with the sun bitch. Just remember what we talked about with optics. Be a king, not a boyfriend.” Hades nodded his agreement and she sat down next to Persephone.

“...one million drachma, who will..”

Hades glanced at his family while formulating a strategy and let out an exasperated grunt at what he saw. The pack was all still too taken with themselves to have noticed the scene unfolding before them. “Typical. Too drunk to notice anyone’s emotions but their…”

Hades froze as a thought struck home. He whipped his head back to Apollo and saw his wild movements. Even from a distance the god looked unhinged, his eyes glowing a little too brightly in his exuberance. A dark grin covered Hades’ face as he reached into his pocket to call his event planner. “Kyso, come to my table immediately.” 

The woman was there in seconds. “My king, how may I assist you?” 

Hades cleared his throat, sounding cool and collected as he spoke loudly, not wanting to go without his brothers’ support later if his plan turned sour. “I want you to put a stop to Apollo’s bidding right away.” As if on cue, his family stopped their obnoxious displays and looked to him in curiosity as they heard this.

As Hades pointed his location out to her, Kyso asked, “What reason should I give?” 

Hades feigned concern and laughed as he explained. “It appears the man has had far too much to drink. I don’t feel comfortable allowing him to continue offering up his drachma in his present state. Collect his bidding paddle and let him know he may still enjoy the gala. I’ll let Athena know now, too. I want this to be done quickly and quietly.”

The woman nodded her understanding and stepped away. Hades slid on an earpiece device from his pocket and spoke quietly to his niece. “Athena, Apollo is not allowed to bid again tonight. Kyso is collecting his paddle.” He saw her nodding from her place on the stage as she continued to accept bids but excluded Apollo. 

“...who will bid one million, one hundred thousand drachma…”

Hades looked to the royals before him, shrugged and laughed, saying, “I wouldn’t want him to awaken tomorrow moring with any regrets. This is better for everyone.” Predictably, Zeus and Hera didn’t care and quickly returned to their unique version of flirting while Posie and Trite looked surprised that he showed concern at all.

“Pftt,” Posie snorted. “I would’ve imagined you’d let him drain his account if he wanted to donate it. You’ve never liked him. You only let him in the realm one night each year for this. Why did you...” Luckily for Hades, Trite chose that moment to steal another sweet from her husband’s plate. Posie feigned shock and the two were quickly reabsorbed in one another. 

Hades sighed in relief and knelt beside his chair. Hecate’s eyes were still glowing but she appeared relaxed. “Thank you, my friend. Whatever you did, it worked. I owe you. Could you keep it going until she’s feeling better?”

“Hah!” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll add it to your already egregiously long tab. And, of course I will.” She rose from the chair and returned to her own seat, downing her champagne.

Kyso was just walking up to their table again, holding Apollo’s bidding paddle and looking triumphant. “My Lord Hades, Apollo is still here but he’s no longer placing bids. He argued a bit with me at first but his sister agreed it was best for him to stop. She’s promised to keep him in line for the remainder of the evening. You’ll let me know if you need him removed?”

“I doubt that will be necessary.” He thanked her and she returned to her other duties. 

“...I have one million, one hundred thousand fifty…”

Hades sat in his chair again to place his full attention on the goddess beside him. He noted that her eyes were still rose-colored but had lost their ringed intensity. Her breathing was beginning to even out, and she was sitting further back in her chair. By no means did she seem to be feeling at ease, but he was encouraged to note that no new vines were forming in her hair while others seemed to be disappearing all together. 

He gently reached over to her and held her hands in his much larger one while she kept them fisted in her lap. Only then did he realize that they were back to their regular shape and size. After a few minutes of watching the bidding climbing higher and Apollo sitting in his chair silently, he felt them slacken and she moved to cup his hands. Relief washed over him and he smiled when he looked at her.

Athena’s voice was loud and clear in the ballroom. “I have one million, five hundred, who will bid one million six hundred? Let’s keep it moving with hundred-thousand increases!”

Persephone had been aware of Hades moving away from her and of Hecate sitting down with her. She felt her cast some form of charm on her but she hadn’t cared what it was in the moment. The Goddess of Witchcraft had only ever been kind to her. All she could contend with right then was her rage as it fought to burst forth from her. She couldn't let that happen; it had been terrible the one time she had. “No,” she thought, “No, I can get through this.” She focused on her breathing and cooling down while she tried her best to look anywhere other than at Apollo. Doing that only made her feel provoked by his cocky behavior as he placed his bids. 

She knew the moment Hades returned to sit with her; she’d been able to settle down more and more because of it. When he touched her, she’d felt nothing but his affection for her and his strength as he held onto her hands. After a while, she was able to release herself from all the built up hostility she’d been trying so hard to suppress. Revenge was hers for tonight. Retaliation for his taunting could wait for another. She felt the last of her red vines disappear. She blinked a few times and saw with her normal vision. She inhaled deeply through her nose and out through her mouth, luxuriating in the fresh air around her.

“...two million…”

Persephone turned her head to Hades and smiled at him. He was patiently waiting for her to self-soothe and come back from where she’d gone inside her mind. He hadn’t tried to force her to do it faster or slower than how she’d needed to do it on her own. He hadn’t grabbed her and vanished them to another room in the building out of shame for her state of being. He’d asked Hecate to conceal her while she took her time. He’d protected her from prying eyes and unwanted questions that would have only made things worse for her. Now, he was sitting beside her, holding her hands in one of his, and sipping his scotch with the other as he watched her and listened to the bidding. 

If she hadn’t already realized she was in love with him, this would have been the deciding moment--no doubt about it. 

Persephone squeezed Hades’ hands in her own for what must have been the hundredth time that night. The two remained silent for a few moments and then she leaned forward and rested her cheek on his shoulder. He turned his head to press a heavy but gentle kiss to her hair. 

Persephone sat back up and looked to Hecate. “Thank you, I’m feeling better now.” Hecate’s eyes dropped some of their shine and she winked at her in return. Persephone felt the glamour magic drop away from her and she reached for the bottle of champagne and pulled it toward her. She fiddled with the label as she decided what to say to Hades.

Looking him in the eyes again, she finally spoke. “I know you have so many questions. You’re an intelligent man, though. I think you’ve got an idea by now.” She kept speaking after Hades nodded somberly in response. “I meant what I said earlier, I’ll tell you anything you want to know later tonight. For now, though, I want to say thank you for being so wonderful to me during my...episode. I’m so very sorry that I acted as I did.”

Hades began shaking his head before she finished her thought. “No, don’t apologize to me for this, Kore. Not now, not ever. I couldn’t stand it if you felt ashamed of that with me. You did nothing wrong. You clearly have a lot of emotions to process and you’re entitled to them. I, nor anyone else, gets to dictate to you how you do that for yourself. It was my honor to keep you safe while you did, that’s it. That’s all I did.”

Persephone stared at him in wonder, thinking of how many people in her life seemed to want to push her feelings down as quickly as she tried to share them. “Mother wouldn’t allow me to express a desire to leave home for the longest time. Artemis refused to listen to me about Apollo.” It took her a full minute to be able to speak to him. “That’s so much more than I ever could have asked for or hoped to expect. Weren’t you embarrassed by me? Disgusted at how I was acting?” She bit her nail nervously as she waited for him to answer her. “I was all fangs and vines and crazy eyes and let’s not forget the claws…”

He cupped his hands around her cheeks and successfully cut off her self-deprecation assault. “Embarrassed? Disgusted? Of you, never, no. Definitely not.” He dropped his hands. “What I am is overjoyed to see you feeling yourself again. It was heartbreaking to see you so distraught, yes, but it’s healthy and takes courage to address pain like you did. Only cowards bottle that up and paste on smiles instead of facing their feelings. Kore, you are certainly no coward. You looked yours directly in the face and refused to let it win, literally. I’m just glad I was here to witness it.”

Persephone blushed and spun the champagne bottle on the table, at a total loss for words for several moments. “You know, everytime I think you can’t get any better than you are, that you can’t possibly be kinder or more understanding, you come up with another beautiful facet of yourself and share it with me. Thank you, Hades.” She kissed his cheek softly and then straightened up again.

She knew there wasn’t really anywhere else they could take the conversation while in front of others. She picked up the bottle and moved her flute closer to his. “You know, it’s a crime that this is still full. Hecate went to all the trouble to go and fetch it for us.” 

Hades’s shoulders relaxed and he chuckled. “Oh, dear. Would you think this a misdemeanor or a high crime for the king to handle personally?”

Persephone met his eyes and giggled lightly. “Oh, a high crime for certain.”

Hades was smiling as he sat up and reached for their glasses. “Well, in that case, as king, I insist we correct the situation post haste.” 

He beamed and held the glasses in place for her as she poured. Handing her glass to her and picking up his own, he shifted to sit closer to her again. The intimate space between them was restored. 

Persephone spoke sweetly but with great emotion. “Let’s celebrate the night we’ve shared together, both the highs and the lows.” 

Hades leaned forward to speak directly into her ear, reimagining her toast from earlier in the night. “Here’s to navigating side-by-side and seeing where this takes us together.”

Persephone took advantage of their proximity and brushed her fingers over his cheek. “Gladly.” She was rewarded by his breathy moan of contentment.

“...three million, two hundred…”

The atmosphere in the room had grown increasingly energized as the number of bids began to dwindle but the amounts offered increased exponentially. It was easy to see it wouldn’t continue much longer, and the who’s who of the realms were eager to see who the winner would be. Political plays and schmoozing were on the horizon.

Persephone and Hades were on their third glasses of champagne when his family began to laugh and visit as a group again. She was feeling the calming, slightly airy effect of all the alcohol she’d had in the last little bit and wasn’t worried about Apollo at all anymore. 

She had realized she was surrounded by friendly faces, had danced and flirted with Hades all night, been supported when she was at her worst—in a way that was more than she ever could have wished for--and now she was holding his hand and planning to spend the night with him. 

She couldn’t help but blush at her mental images as she thought of the implications of that. She already knew Hades would not pressure her to do anything, but she was unsure of what she was ready for or wanted in terms of “the bedroom”. So, she had allowed her champagne-fueled imagination to run freely for a few minutes. Hades and the rest of the table were keeping their eyes on the bidding now that it was down to a man and woman who had squared off. 

Lost in her fantasies, Persephone moaned quietly out loud accidentally. She nearly melted onto the floor when the unknowing Hades had asked her, “Come again for me?”

She forced out a laugh when he looked at her flushed face and heavy breathing with a curious expression and then drank more champagne instead of answering him. Immediately she began shouting at herself mentally, “Fates sake, down girl!”

Finally, the bidding came to a head. Athena cleared her throat and spoke slowly. “I have four million, three hundred thousand drachma. Going once! Going twice! Done! And we have our top bidder of the night! Congratulations!” 

“I’ll be back right away, Sweetness.” Hades squeezed her arm and quickly walked to the side of the stage where Kyso handed him a microphone. 

A well earned standing ovation was given to the highest bidder and then everyone sat down again as Hades walked to the center of the stage and stood beside Athena. 

Hades smiled and spoke calmly. “I want to thank everyone for their generosity tonight. Whether you chose to donate in private, bid on an act, are our top bidder of the evening, are taking home items from the silent auction, or you solely gave by purchasing your tickets for tonight’s entertainment, rest assured that you have made a difference. I’m told that our donations currently stand in excess of twenty five million drachma for this year’s event.” He paused while everyone clapped. “I also want to thank my wonderful niece, the Goddess Athena, for her humor and warmth throughout the night. You have been a delightful MC.” Another pause for clapping. “It’s still early, so enjoy the fresh wave of desserts that has just been set out, the fully stocked bar, and the DJ’s dance picks for the rest of the night. Thank you again for being here and for making the work done for the beings who need it most possible. Goodnight.”

Fireworks shot forth from the stage and the room filled with colorful sparkles. The attendees stood, clapped, whistled, and shook hands as they began moving around quickly. The DJ took control of the music and immediately began playing modern music that had people heading to the dance floor. Lines formed for drinks and desserts and Persephone decided she should hurry to the restroom before that got busy too. The lights dimmed on the stage and the room was left with the blue and white toned lights in the semi-darkness. 

She looked at everyone around the table. “Trite, Hera, Hecate, I’m heading to the restroom if you’d like to join me.” They all nodded their agreement and the group left together, purses in their hands.

Hades returned to the table to find a somewhat sober Zeus and a somehow-still-eating Poseidon. “Ehh, what happened to your wives and where is Persephone?” He felt a growing sense of dread as he slid into his seat and they looked at him with their dopey expressions that were rapidly turning devious. 

Zeus spoke first, “Dude, she’s a snack!” 

Poseidon shoved an entire yellow cookie in his mouth and mumbled out, “You’re always such a stingy holdout!” He swallowed his mouthful and choked down his glass of champagne while swishing it around his mouth. Melodramatically mimicking Hades he said, “She possesses a melancholic quality…” Hades felt his jaw click while Poseidon continued and Zeus giggled. “But she’s so scrumptious I can’t keep my hands off of her juicy—” Zeus was cackling.

Hades didn’t give Posie the chance to finish. He loved his brothers, yes, but he wasn’t going to put up with their adolescent stupidity, not with Kore. “Shut the fuck up Poseidon!”

Zeus roared with laughter and had to hold his abs as though in pain from it. Hades was disgusted with him. “And you too! Both of you, shut the fuck up!” His brothers were staring at him without laughing then, and he felt justified by their shocked expressions. 

“By some miracle, the Fates have let me experience this one, perfect, beautiful slice of bliss. I won’t have you making light of it or tearing it down with your disgusting sense of humor. I don’t care what you think of her appearance, she’s important to me for so many much better reasons. Don’t speak about her that way ever again. I don’t care if you think it’s a joke! I don’t! I’m not going to laugh and I just might summon my bident and organize second colons for each of you.”

“Puh,” Poseidon grouched through his teeth. “You know we don’t mean it. We’re really happy for you, honest. We just want to laugh with our big brother, that’s all.”

Zeus rolled his eyes and pouted, playing with his long hair like a butthurt pre-teen. “Yes, so don’t get all ruffled and fussy. We were just teasing you.”

Hades was socially exhausted by the night already, now he had to deal with his two whining little brothers. “If you want to laugh with me, try saying something intelligent and witty. Gods, you two are so annoying sometimes.” He rolled his eyes as he contemplated a trip to the bar for more scotch. 

“Aww, come on now. You love us and you know it.” Zeus was always confident of his brothers’ adoration for him. He preened and batted his eyes at Hades while Posie laughed and pretended to fan himself flirtatiously.

Hades laughed against his will at their antics. “Well, it is difficult to hate such charmers, idiots though you are. I do love you guys.”

They interrupted him to lean together and vocalized, “Awwwwwww.” 

Hades continued on and said, “However, I hate your hair, Zeus. Do us all a favor and cut that thing off of your head.”

Zeus grabbed his hair and held it to his chest proudly. “Never!”

Posie snorted again, “Bolty, it’s getting to the point that you can’t tell if it’s grown from your head to your ass or from your ass to your head.”

“All I hear is the jealousy of two men with frizzy bullshit hair.” Zeus flipped his hair behind his shoulder and smiled. “Hera likes it long.”

It was Hades’ turn to snort. “No, she doesn’t. Hera likes watching you fuss over it as she slowly convinces you to style it like a mortal woman.”

Zeus looked dubious but thoughtful. “Why do you think that?”

Hades and Posie exchanged looks. Posie pursed his lips and rushed out, “We heard her laughing about it with Trite like two years ago at a party when she was sauced.”

“Gah! Two years ago! What the Fates? Why did it take you two years to tell me?”

Hades leaned toward his brother and put his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands. “Well, to be honest, we wanted to wait and give it some time. You see, it’s damned hilarious to watch you get all zip-zappy when you’re wearing sparkly hair clips.”

Zeus glared at him and lightning did zap across his brow a few times. Posie chimed in, “Careful, bro. You don’t want to frizz up those luscious locks.”

Zeus tried to maintain his grouch but ended up laughing instead. “Okay, okay, truce! Let’s get away from this table for a while.”

They stood up as the ladies were returning together and paired off to head in separate directions. Hecate was bringing up the rear.

“Where’s Persephone?” Hades looked behind her, expecting her to be a few steps away.

Hecate turned and whipped her head back to him. “Hades, she was beside me seconds ago!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me a review and bookmark my story. Thank you for reading!


	6. Calling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persephone calls Demeter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any rights to Lore Olympus. That honor goes to the talented Rachel Smythe. I don't own any rights to the song Lemons. That honor goes to Brye Sebring.
> 
> Content warning: This story deals with Persephone moving on with her life after Apollo assaults and continues to approach her. There will be discussions that allude to her assault having occurred and possibly some verbal and physical altercations about Apollo's behavior. Do not read this story if you are sensitive to this topic or fear you may be triggered by it.

Persephone watched Hades move off of the stage as the fireworks finished. He was caught up in the mad rush of guests moving around the room after the long stretch of sitting, and it looked like he’d be a few minutes getting back to the table. She figured now was a good time to head to the restroom, but she certainly didn’t want to risk going alone and having another confrontation like the last time. She relaxed as she looked at the women sitting near her. 

“Trite, Hera, Hecate, I’m heading to the restroom if you’d like to join me.” They all nodded their agreement and the group left together, purses in their hands.

Hera looped her arm through Persephone’s and smiled at her as they walked. “Little Dove, I’ve never seen Hades look so happy.”

Persephone giggled and smiled back to her. “He’s just so perfect, Hera. He makes everything feel so uncomplicated and fun. He never pushes or demands anything from me. He lets me know that he’s happy to be spending time with me, just for the sake of me. When I’m with him, it’s so..I don’t know how to explain it.” She trailed off and giggled, embarrassed at how much she’d said to Hera. 

“Persephone, are you in love with Hades?” Hera’s face was kind but relaxed as she asked, as though she was simply curious and not trying to pry.

One part of Persephone wanted to shout out, “Yes, more than I ever thought possible!” But, another part of her felt it would be wrong to discuss this with anyone other than Hades first. Her feelings were far more than some little crush to admit in secret. Lost in her thoughts, she realized she’d been silent a little too long. Hera was patiently waiting for her to answer and her grin was growing broader with each quiet second. 

“Hera, I need to talk to you. Can we visit inside the lounge privately?” She nodded.

Trite and Hecate went to the facilities and Hera sat beside Persephone at one of the open mirrors, their elbows resting on the counter. Persephone found it remarkably easy to say, “Earlier tonight I officially left TGOEM. I’ve been thinking about doing it for a while now, and I knew it was the right decision for me to make.”

Hera had not seemed surprised at her choice but she did sit up straighter in her chair and lean toward Persephone. “I support your decision, one hundred percent, but, may I ask why you did?”

Persephone let out a combination of a laugh and a sigh as she leaned her head onto her hand and let it keep her propped up as she spoke. “Many reasons, really. The biggest is that I don’t want to be an eternal maiden. I’ve been groomed for TGOEM since I was about fourteen, but since moving here I’ve learned I’m a fertility goddess. I still don’t know why that was kept from me, and I’m curious about that aspect of myself. Honestly, I want to explore what it means for me to access and use those powers.” Persephone blushed but kept speaking when Hera reached out and squeezed her hand, offering her support with a nod. “I haven’t acted on anything intimate, I promise. I’ve been keeping up with the maidenhood guidelines for months because of my college scholarship, but now that I have income from my internship, I know I’ll be able to repay that money at the end of the term. That was the only reason I agreed to join the group in the first place.”

Hera’s eyebrows moved up on her forehead as she listened. She said, “Yes, your paid internship is wonderful,” as she thought, “Hades is so sneaky...” She made a mental note to ask about that later when she could speak to him in private.

Persephone had paused to collect her thoughts but continued when Hera asked her to. “I know using the scholarship that way was dishonest and unfair, but it was the only way I could see to experience life on my own.”

Hera seemed to consider this quickly. “Hmmm, yes, but also no. You don’t have to tell anyone else about this, though. I think you came here with good intentions, no matter the path that you ended up upon once you started learning how to live your life. Everyone has to make choices--and they’re rarely simple--but we all have to make them at times. Often the people around us end up feeling hurt by our decisions, but that’s not a reason to change your mind. You can care for others and still cut ties with them, especially if those ties are choking you and holding you back from what you want.”

Persephone’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at Hera. “You really are a wonderful queen, Hera, but you’re an even better friend. Thank you.” Hera waved her off with a smile but brushed a tear from the corner of her own eye.

“You should know--and I’m not proud of this now that some time has gone by-- but I had a verbal altercation with Hestia and Artemis about leaving TGOEM tonight. Here in this room actually. I hadn’t planned on it happening. I overheard them talking about me and my date with Hades. I tried to ignore it but I let my temper get the best of me. I came back here and confronted them. I told them I was out of TGOEM, that I was repaying the scholarship money, and I also said some ugly things when they didn’t take that news well.”

Hera laughed and clapped her hands. “Persephone, you are a doll! You don’t need to apologize for feeling angry. You’re a goddess! Besides, Artemis is a hot-head and Hestia can be such a stick in the mud! I’m sure she was trying to fuss at you for all manner of naughty things she’d imagined. She’s always been that way. She’s no stranger to people losing their tempers with her, and Artemis? Fates, she probably enjoyed it!”

Persephone smiled but then quickly grew nervous. “I didn’t think it would be easy when I did leave but I hadn’t expected it to end that way. Artemis and I aren’t going to be living together anymore. Hestia is planning to tell my mother so I’m sure that won’t be pleasant either. Of course, I wouldn’t dare yell at my mother and say the things I did with them to her.”

“Ooh, yeah, no. Hmm... Well, if I were you, and this is just my advice so do with it what you will, I would call your mother right away and not give her a chance to be told by anyone other than you. I know Hestia. She won’t call her tonight because it’s already late. She’s one of those types who thinks it’s rude to call after dinnertime. She’ll wait until tomorrow morning so now is the time to act.”

Persephone nodded in agreement with her but her eyes grew wide. “Hera, my mother is going to be furious with me. She’ll kill me. Or worse, she’ll make me go back to the mortal realm and I just can’t do that again!”

Hera reached out and put her hands on both of Persephone’s shoulders. “No, she won’t. If you call her and tell her of your decision, you’re taking control of your own life. You’re a grown woman, Persephone. You’re twenty years old. She could try to convince you to go back to the mortal realm but she couldn’t actually make you go there. I know your mother, trust me, I do. She can be...difficult...and bullish. She likes to get exactly what she wants how she wants it. But remember, she’s just another goddess like you and me. She has a temper and is demanding, but she holds no special power over others to get her way. Plus, she loves you and does want you to be happy. Don’t forget that it’s your right to cut ties that are holding you back.”

Persephone’s eyes were watering and she bit her fingernail as she thought on this. “Hera, I don’t want to cut my mother out of my life completely. I can’t do that. I love her too much.”

Hera shook her head and smiled at her. “Of course you do! It doesn’t have to be black and white. You just have to decide what makes you comfortable and tell her that’s what you expect. You’ll always be her daughter but you’re not a child for her to watch over constantly anymore. You shouldn’t have to fear her acting that way toward you. No parent has the right to drag off a healthy adult child just because they don’t like their lifestyle. It’s not like you’re being reckless and unsafe.”

Persephone took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. “You’re exactly right, and I know that, I really do. It’s just so hard to stand up to her. But I want to be here! I want to live my life for me, not how she sees it for me. I want to make my home here and go to college. I really like working in the Underworld. I want to date Hades and see where that leads us. I want to figure out all of my powers, not just the ones my mother saw fit to teach me about. I have no interest going back to the mortal realm to be a farmer.”

Hera smiled and sat up again as Trite and Hecate came into the lounge area. “Then you need to tell her all of that. But, um, tone down the dating Hades part for now. Just say you went as his date to this event since you work together and are friends. Don’t spring everything on her at once, you know?” Hera winked at her. “Let Hestia say what she will to Demeter tomorrow. You’ll already have taken your stand with her. Let her be furious. Let her say she’s ashamed or disappointed or whatever negatives she uses. It doesn’t matter because it’s not her life, it’s yours.”

Persephone nodded to her before rising from her chair. The women embraced and Hera squeezed her hands in solidarity one final time. After using the facilities, they joined the others to reapply lipstick and touch up their hair. 

Persephone found the intimacy of those minutes with the other women very rejuvenating after the stress of the night. As Trite reached to pat her seafoam green hair, her silky sleeves had fallen down to reveal markings on her arms. The concentric lines stood out sharply against her skin and they were mesmerizing. Trite caught her looking in the mirror and giggled. “I have them all over. I always have.” She pulled her hair back from around her neck to let her view the ones there. 

Persephone felt horrible for gawking. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare at you. I think they’re beautiful is all. I’ve never seen anything like them before.”

Trite laughed her worries away. “No harm done. I’m proud of them and I like that they are so unique. Plus, Posie loves them which always works in my favor.” All of the women laughed at this. 

When they left, this time Trite and Hera visited on the return walk while Hecate held back for a minute with Persephone at her request. “Hecate, I have some news. I left TGOEM tonight. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now and it was time. I’m staying here though. I like my work and school.”

Hecate gave her a hug and smiled as she pulled away. “Good for you! I’m always here if you need anything at all. You’ll ask me, won’t you?”

Persephone smiled and said, “Um, actually, yes. I’ll take you up on that offer right away. You see, I’m going to need to find somewhere to live because Artemis and I aren’t living together anymore. Do you know much about rentals in the Underworld?”

Hecate nodded. “I do, actually. Hades has built and owns some apartments so he’s had me research and keep up with the competition around town. He always wants to be a little ahead of the curve, you know? Plus, he gives a hefty discount to employees. There are a few options to choose from if you want to take advantage.” Persephone nodded so emphatically that Hecate chuckled. “Well then, how about we take Monday afternoon to go look at the options together?”

Persephone sighed in relief. “Yes, please and thank you!”

As they began walking back to the table together, there were so many people around them that Persephone ended up behind her. When she noticed a familiar, bright red hand waving at her over several heads blocked between them, she stopped and waited. She waved back at Hermes and laughed as he lost his patience with the crowd. Finally he just bounded over everyone to reach her, ignoring the irritated faces around them. “Hi there!”

Persephone covered her mouth with her hands as she giggled at him. “Hermes, I’m so happy I got to see you tonight! Thank you for bidding on our act. You were so generous!” She gave him a quick hug and he waved off her gratitude.

“No way I was going to pass up the chance! I’ve had some money set aside for a while and this seemed the perfect time to donate it. Your song sent a crazy powerful message and that took guts. You and Psyche really blew the crowd away, myself included!”

“You’re so sweet to say that! Thank you!”

Hermes gripped the lapels of his jacket and leaned toward her dramatically. “Hey, I saw you with Hades tonight. You two seem to be getting a lot closer.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her ridiculously and they both laughed.

“We are, Hermes. He’s extremely important to me.” Hermes rubbed one of his hands on the back of his neck as he listened. “But you and I are still friends, I hope?”

Hermes stood straight again and shrugged at her with a grin. “Of course, always will be! Probably not going to be swimming together from now on, though, huh?”

Persephone covered her face with her hands. “No, nope! Fates! You have no shame, do you?” She was laughing at his antics but still embarrassed. 

“Alright, alright, I’ll behave. We’re friends, no stress at all.” 

Persephone gave him another brief hug and then turned to locate the table. In doing this, she saw Hades and Hecate standing several feet away and looking around the room swiftly. Curious and concerned, she went to stand beside Hades. “What’s going on?”

Hades crushed her in a hug and sighed with relief as Hecate seemed to wipe sweat from her brow. When he released her, he said, “Kore, we didn’t know where you were. Hecate said you there with her one moment and gone the next. We were worried that something had happened, that someone was keeping you from where you wanted to go.”

Persephone grimaced, feeling terrible. “I’m very sorry to both of you. The crowd was so heavy that I had to hold back a few steps. Then I saw Hermes and wanted to thank him for bidding on the song. I didn’t think about how it would look. I never meant to scare you.”

Hecate shook her head, her smile returning already. “No, it was our fault for getting so upset so quickly. We care for you and don’t want to see you come to harm. I’m going back to my champagne, dear ones. Ta ta.” Gathering her dress, she drifted away into the crowd.

Hades smoothed a loose lock of hair behind his ear and let out a slow breath but he had his eyes averted from her gaze. He seemed embarrassed now that he had calmed down. He finally spoke to her in a shy voice. “I’m sorry for overreacting, Kore. I had this overwhelming sense that something was wrong, that maybe Apollo had confronted you. I’m feeling on edge about him but I won’t jump to conclusions again. I know you don’t need me hovering over you.”

Persephone smiled up to him and pulled him toward her side. “That’s completely understandable. It’s been a long night with a host of emotions. Oh, ugh, speaking of which, what time is it?”

He glanced at his phone. “Nine thirty.”

She fingered one of the buttons on his shirt and sighed, wishing she could stay with him instead of anything else. “I need to make a phone call and it may take several minutes. I’d like to use that room we were in before. The one across the hall. Can we meet back at the table in about fifteen minutes?”

Hades seemed surprised by this and then a look of understanding came over his features. “Your mom. You’re going to tell Demeter, aren’t you?”

Persephone nodded. “I want her to hear about TGOEM from me, not Hestia. It’s time for me to stand up for what I want.” She spoke with conviction but gulped down her nerves after she finished talking.

“That’s undoubtedly for the best. Your mother is a hard one but she loves you. She’ll respect that you spoke to her directly.” Hades saw her fidgeting with the flowers on her dress as he spoke. “Hey, it’s going to be alright, it will be.”

Persephone let out a nervous laugh and nodded to him. He added, “Want me to wait outside the room for you? I’m sure I’d make an excellent cheerleader although I refuse to do splits. It’s unseemly for a king.”

She laughed out loud and then hugged him briefly. “No, thank you. I think that might attract some attention. And I don’t think it would be good for either of us if we both disappear again. Besides, I can handle this. I’ll be fine.”

“I know you will be. I’ll be at the table when you’re done. I’ll have champagne waiting for you. Just remember to tap twice if you need anything.” He kissed her fingers and left her for the bar area. 

Persephone made her way to the empty room across the hallway from the ballroom and was pleased to find it empty. She locked it behind her and found a comfortable spot to sit on top of a table. Taking a final deep breath, she dialed her mother’s number.

Demeter answered on the second ring. “Kore! How are you my perfect angel?”

Persephone let her head drop backward at the loving tone in her mother’s voice. “Hi Mama! I’m doing well. I’m at the Tri-Realm Gala tonight and have had a lot of fun. I saw all sorts of acts and sang a song with my friend, Psyche. It’s been amazing!” She was already cursing herself for starting off by talking about being in the Underworld late at night.

Demeter sounded dubious immediately. “Are you there with the other ladies?”

Persephone laughed nervously. “No, not exactly. I’m sitting at a table with Hecate, and Athena comes by when she can. You see, she’s the MC tonight so she’s spent a lot of time on the stage. She’s done now, though, so I’ll be able to visit with her soon. Hestia and Artemis are here, too, but they’re at other tables. Artemis is sitting with her brother and Hermes, but I don’t know who else. I’m unsure of where Hestia is, to tell the truth. There are a lot of beings here tonight. About five hundred I’m told.”

Demeter paused, “If you’re sitting with Hecate, then you’re at the kings’ table. She always sits there... but why are you?”

Persephone remembered what Hera told her and pushed her first boundary line out toward her mother. “That’s right, I am indeed. It’s been nice getting to visit with everyone. I’m being escorted by King Hades tonight. Neither of us had partners so we decided this would be fun. We work together so we know each other as friends. Someone to dance with and talk to for the gala.”

“Kore…”

Demeter seemed to be on the verge of lecturing her and Persepone didn’t want to let her take the upper hand in their conversation. “Enough about me and this fundraiser for women and children, mother. Tell me about all that’s going on in the mortal realm. Are you well? How is everyone?” 

Persephone was disgusted with herself. As she listened to her mother, she thought. “Very nice. Use the charity as a way to deflect anger. Classy. Gods know I’ve got to get through this, though.”

“Oh, it’s always perfect here of course. The crops continue to grow, babies and livestock are born, nature blooms, and it’s paradise.” She seemed to loosen up a little as she talked about the beauty around her she had created and maintained for so many centuries. “Everyone misses you here, though, of course, and can’t wait for you to come home.”

“I’ll definitely be coming for a visit when this term ends, Mama. I’m looking forward to talking and cooking together again.” 

Demeter sighed happily, “That sounds perfect, my dear.”

Persephone had meant everything as she said it, but she knew she had to stop beating around the bush. She steeled herself for what she was about to say. “Mama, I do need to tell you about a big decision I’ve made for myself. It took a lot of thinking and consideration. I know it’s not what you saw for me but it’s the right choice for my future. I have left TGOEM.”

For just a few seconds, Kore thought her mother had been struck speechless. Then came her fury.

Demeter roared with anger. “Have you completely lost your mind? You can’t leave the group! Your whole life has been leading up to this commitment. I won’t allow it, Kore, I will not.”

Persephone shook as she listened to her mother’s ranting. But when Demeter paused for a breath, she spoke up and didn’t stop when she tried to talk over her. “Mother, I love you so much. This was the right choice for me and it’s already done. I told Hestia tonight, in fact, as well as Hera. You don’t have to agree with what I’ve done and you don’t have to like or support it. It’s my life and my choice.” Persephone felt herself growing stronger with each word she spoke. It felt incredible to speak up for herself like this. 

Demeter, however, was unimpressed. “If you’re no longer in the group, then you no longer have scholarship money. I won’t be paying for you to attend school.”

Persephone wasn’t completely shocked to hear her mother use this as ammunition against her, but she was surprised at how manipulative and vindictive she was about it. Suddenly the other Persephone was awake and whispering to her. “Don’t you dare back down! Hold your ground and tell her to shut her mouth!”

Persephone shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Mother, I don’t have to worry about my scholarship. My internship is paid and I’ve already made budget decisions to repay it in full at the end of the term. Hestia is aware of my plan, as is Hera.”

Dememter laughed at her. “And where will you live while you pay for school, hmm? I seriously doubt Artemis will let you remain in her home now that you’re out of TGOEM.”

It was too much for Persephone to hear her own mother taunting her so cruelly. Any shaking and nervousness that she’d felt was gone in that instant. “It’s as if she’s happy that I don’t have any choice but to be with her forever.” She spoke smoothly and clearly. “Mother, I’m meeting with a property guide on Monday to look at rentals. I also have other options for scholarships than just what Hestia offered me. Plus, as I said, my internship is paid so I’ll be fine. Lots of beings go to school with less resources than I have already. Don’t worry about me.”

Demeter seemed to hiss under her breath and then yelled again. “I’m not worried about you, Kore, because none of this is going to actually happen. I’ll be coming to Olympus tomorrow to pick you up and take you home. Pack your bags and be ready at ten o’clock.”

“No.” Persephone was icy when she said it.

“Excuse me?” Demeter was still seething but at least she was listening and not laughing anymore.

“No. I will not, Mother. I said no. I’m twenty years old and a fully grown goddess in my own right. You cannot tell me to do as you want like I’m a misbehaved child. I’ve done nothing but make choices for my own life. I’m well within my rights to do so. As I said earlier, you don’t have to like it. I have to do what’s right for me and that’s what I’ve chosen.”

Silence hung in the air between them. A clock on the wall told her it was almost time to meet up with Hades. She wanted to leave the conversation where it was but now she wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to do or not. Guilt was threatening to close in on her and so she pushed it away with a deep breath. 

“Mama, I love you. This is my choice and it’s already done. I will not be returning to the mortal realm with you tomorrow or anytime soon. I’ll send a message to you with my new address and I hope we can keep in touch. Goodbye.” 

Persephone turned off her phone completely. The room suddenly seemed unnaturally quiet, to the point that it almost hurt her ears. She stayed in her chair for a few moments to mull over what had just happened. She didn’t cry. She thought, “I’ve done enough of that tonight already.” Finally, she stood and adjusted her dress before shaking her negative thoughts away. It was time for a second dessert with Hades.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me a comment about how you feel the story is going. The next chapter will be a wild ride. I hope to have it up in a day or two.


	7. Thorns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persephone gets her justice from Apollo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any rights to Lore Olympus. That honor goes to the talented Rachel Smythe. I don't own any rights to the song Lemons. That honor goes to Brye Sebring.
> 
> Content warning: This story deals with Persephone moving on with her life after Apollo assaults and continues to approach her. Therie will be discussions that allude to her assault having occurred and possibly some verbal and physical altercation about Apollo's behavior. Do not read this story if you are sensitive to this topic or fear you may be triggered by it.
> 
> Chapter 7 content warning: TAGS HAVE BEEN UPDATED! This chapter contains violence, abuse, threats, and descriptions of pain and injury, as well as discussions of rape and descriptions of rape events. Do not read it if you are triggered or bothered by this.

When Persephone approached the table, Hades rose and kissed her hand as he helped her sit in her chair. Hera leaned over and looked at her expectantly as he asked, “How did it go?”

Persephone kept her face void of expression and grabbed the flute of champagne in front of her to tip the whole glass down. They both snickered at her. “Yeah, it wasn’t pretty a lot of the time. I am glad I called, though.” She took Hera’s hand for a squeeze. “You helped me so much. I honestly heard your words in my head at one point. Thank you.”

Hera waved off her gratitude. “Gods, don’t thank me! I’m old and have a habit of needing to think my way out of difficult situations. Plus, I’m an outsider offering advice and that’s so easy. It takes solid courage to stand up for yourself and you did that tonight. I’m so proud of you.” She hugged Persephone and refilled her champagne for her before turning back to Zeus.

Hades was smiling sweetly at her when she looked at him again. “I’m sorry it wasn’t a smooth phone call, Persephone. I’m sure she’ll come around.”

Persephone drummed her fingers on the side of her glass and scrunched up her nose. “No, it wasn’t very pleasant, truth be told. But this is my life and I have to stand up to her or else she’ll never stop thinking she can control my every move.” She sighed.

“Well then, it’s a good thing I have these.” He retrieved a plate of two new desserts from the center of the table and placed them between Persephone and himself. “I had a feeling you might be wanting something sweet after a call like that to your mom.”

Persephone reached forward and hugged him, pressing her cheek against his for an extra moment. “You’re a very wise god, King Hades.”

He laughed. “Are you basing your judgment of my skills as a monarch upon my decision to procure sympathy sweets for you?”

Persephone exaggerated a look of concentration before saying, “Yes! And you’re on top!”

A now-totally-drunk Zeus slouched over Hera’s lap to say, “Nah, don’t worry, he’s not picky about that stuff!” He looked extremely proud of himself for his comment. “Top, bottom, whatever…” Zues giggled and tried to give a smoldering look to her but came off slightly cross eyed instead.

Hades wasn’t amused and Persephone was confused by his meaning. She started to say, “Hades, what-,” but he stole her finger-on-the mouth move to stop her from asking. 

He shook his head in disgust as his brother began ungracefully climbing back up to a sitting position. “Don’t ask, Sweetness.” 

Zeus laughed loudly this time and hit the table as if unable to control himself any longer. “That’s right, blue man. Let it happen organically. S’always more fun that way.”

Hades looked to Hera and said, “Hera, take his stupid ass home or I’ll give him a bed in Tartarus for the night.” Hera rolled her eyes at the dramatic threat but nodded. She said her goodbyes with a blown kiss to the table and then left in a flash of light with Zeus smelling her hair.

Poseidon laughed nervously. “Always the light and life of a party.”

Trite added, “I pity Hera having to deal with him when he’s like that.”

Hades let out a sound of disagreement. “Pfft, she’s used to him like this. I doubt she does more than transport them to the entryway and drops him to let him sleep it off there.”

“Their marriage is very unique.” Persephone spoke before she could stop herself, the alcohol from the night beginning to catch up with her. She slapped her hand to her mouth in embarrassment.

Posie threw his head back and laughed. “Um, no! Trite and I have a unique marriage, but we talk it through and always agree to what we do. They have a constant back and forth shitstorm. Trust me, don’t try to analyze it.”

At Persephone’s worried look, Trite added, “They do love each other very much, Persephone. They just don’t know how to work together instead of against each other. It’s rather like a competition for them all the time. Really, they’re fine. They wouldn’t be happy with anyone else or on their own, either of them. They’ve been married for well over a thousand years and it’s always been like this.”

Hades didn’t move a muscle as he listened. He hadn’t thought about it until just then. He wanted and needed to discuss past relationships with Persephone. She knew about Minthe but not Hera. There had been others, but none that were still around. “Fates, help me,” he prayed. He pushed down his fears for the time being, remembering that he and Persephone had all night to talk. “She’s promised to be honest. You will be, too.” He leaned over and kissed Persephone on her cheek, earning a happy hum from her in return.

Trite and Poseidon left for the night shortly thereafter. They each hugged Persephone goodbye which made her melt a little inside. Afterward, she and Hades happily tucked into their desserts. 

The number of guests was dwindling as midnight approached. Athena said her goodbyes after returning from mingling around the room. She seemed to know everyone somehow. 

Hecate had disappeared soon after declining to dance with a handsome centaur who had approached their table to invite her. After he’d left, Hecate’s left eye had twitched until she held it closed. “I’ll see you Monday, dear ones.” And with that, she had gone just as she came. This had caused Persephone to snort with laughter and Hades to roll his eyes at his friend. 

Hades rose from his chair. “My turn for the restroom, Little Goddess.”

Persephone stood from her seat and giggled at the relaxed and hazy feeling she had from all the alcohol she’d been drinking. “I’ll go talk to Psyche and Eros to see when they want to leave. Are you ready?”

Hades nodded. “I’ve fulfilled my duties for the night and the rest is taken care of by the staff. I’m happy to go whenever you are.”

“Alright, I’ll see you back here in a few minutes.” She snickered as he waved and turned away from her on his heel. 

Persephone considered her state as she moved toward Psyche and Eros’ table. “This feeling is nothing like the night I met Hades but I am relaxed. This must be what a ‘buzz’ feels like. Hmm, I can see why this is addictive. Best not to make this a habit.” As she neared her destination she saw that they weren’t there. Scanning the room, she caught a glimpse of purple skin and red fabric at the bar, so she turned and headed in that direction. 

Only when she was in the thick of the crowd surrounding the area did she realize her mistake. “Oh, sugary shit snacks!” Persephone whispered to herself.

The red fabric she had mistaken for Psyche’s skirt was actually the dress of a nymph she didn’t recognize. The purple skin turned out to be none other than Apollo’s. She saw the back of his frame directly in front of her. His arms were currently resting against the bar as he waited for his drink. He hadn’t noticed her and she wanted to get away from him. 

She thought, “No, no, no! Not now! Not here!” and felt the blissful feelings from the alcohol slipping away.

Trying to think quickly with her foggy brain didn’t go well. She stepped backward, hoping to move away unnoticed, but had been fenced in by more attendees. She turned around too quickly and collided with the red-clad nymph, a fresh gin and tonic spilling down her neckline. 

The nymph began apologizing profusely. “Goddess, I’m so sorry! Forgive me, please! I didn’t mean to bump into you or spoil your beautiful dress!”

Persephone tried to wave her apologies off and shush her quietly but it was too late. Apollo and many others had turned to look their way. Within seconds, he was there with a strong grip on her arm, and his voice dripping with fake concern and friendliness.

His words charmed the onlookers with false endearments. “Oh, no, Persie. Here, my friend, I’ve got napkins and we’ll get you cleaned up in no time. Come this way for some privacy and then I’ll get you back to your table in record time!” 

Any attempt at protestation was drowned out by the nymph shouting her continued pleas of forgiveness after them.

Apollo elbowed her through an exit door behind the bar that led to a delivery ramp with bright lights. Of course, there wasn’t a soul in sight. Persephone pushed at him without making any progress for several seconds. Her previous buzz had now vanished completely to be replaced with her rising anger, but she felt no fear. 

“Let me go right now, Apollo!” When he held fast to her, she thought for a few moments and then grew stinging nettles all around his body, looping them through the threads of his clothing to ensure they dug deep into his skin.

Grimacing and growling, Apollo pushed her from him savagely so that she tumbled to the stone ground and slid several feet from him, ripping the delicate layers of her dress. He doubled over in pain and spit repeatedly as he tried in vain to brush away the stingers that were embedded in his skin and mouth. It was impossible to break free without touching them and Persephone laughed wickedly from her spot on the ground to see him struggle with his choice. 

Hades, Eros, and Psyche came through the door in time to see her rising from the ground. Persephone held her hands up to show them she was okay. “Stop!” Their eyes were wide with worry, but they kept their distance. Hades’ eyes were bright red as she stared into them. He nodded to her and she smiled grimly. Their mutual understanding was clear: this was her moment.

Apollo threw his tuxedo jacket to the ground and ripped away the last of the nettles. He had given up on removing the spikes. He whipped his head up to look at Persephone and shouted at her, “Why did you do that?”

Persephone looked to Apollo and her eyes flashed red briefly. She threw her hands up as though surprised by his question. “Oddly enough, I don’t like being dragged outside by my arm against my will. You wouldn’t let go so I made you. You’re familiar with the concept of making others do what they don’t want.”

Apollo rolled his eyes and scoffed at her. “Enough with that! You really are crazy. You and I both know that what we did was mutual. Don’t blame me that you can’t play ‘sacred virgin’ anymore!”

Persephone felt her hatred for Apollo running deep in her veins. Her ichor was pumping and singing a siren’s song of revenge to her. Her eyes flashed again and then held their crimson shade. She didn’t try to stop the change in her form she felt coming on. Her hair burst free from its clips to billow around her as though touched by an invisible wind. She felt branches slowly growing from her shoulder blades to form wings above her.

Persephone narrowed her eyes at Apollo, “You dragged me out here. What did you want, Apollo?”

Apollo was silent for several seconds. “What I wanted was to be with you.”

Almost instantly Persephone was floating above Apollo, just above his height so he had to look up to her for once. “You’re a fucking coward. And a rapist.”

Hades felt his legs slide to the ground as he bent forward. He had known, he had. He’d figured hours ago that this was what was coming. Yet, thinking and knowing were very different. “How could anyone hurt her like that?” he wondered to himself. He felt Eros’ hands clamp on his shoulders but he didn’t look back at him. “There it is. You knew it was coming. Oh, gods, Kore. Why her?” Hades couldn’t stop his mind from flooding with horrible images of her in pain and Apollo not caring. Eros must have sensed it.

Apollo’s eyes began to glow brightly as he looked up at Persephone. “You don’t get to say that. You said ‘okay’ that night. It wasn’t rape. You were exactly who I thought you’d be--a girl who didn’t want to be a forever virgin.”

Persephone hissed at him loudly. “You came into my bedroom. I was asleep. You woke me up and told me all sorts of things and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Don’t twist the truth now, Apollo! You were wrong and you know it! Again, I ask, what did you want me out here for tonight? Hmm? Maybe round two? Did you think I’d let you touch me ever again?”

Hades was close to being sick as he heard the details of what his Little Goddess had gone through. He couldn’t imagine functioning after going through something like that. He glanced at Eros who was holding Psyche tightly now. They were both watching their friend with a mixture of fear and wonder.

“You wanted it just as much as I did. No one dresses like you do without--”

“Don’t you dare! How ridiculous of you to even try that tired excuse! I was new to Olympus. It was my first week here and the day I met you. You were such a jerk to me that you had to apologize. Don’t even try to say I was flirting with you. I told you I was an eternal maiden. You kept pushing and pushing until I had no other choice but to say ‘okay’ to you just so you would go away. That’s not consent, it’s a godsdamned trap.”

She backed away from Apollo by a few inches and hovered there. Her wings were reaching above her now and she was radiating with energy.

At first, Hades was only able to stare in awe at her horrible beauty and strength. He couldn’t process all that he had heard and what he saw before him, but his own power was crying out to hers. He finally shook his head and found his words to offer, “Kore...Persephone, please, let me…”

Her head tilted toward him and she smiled at him, her razor sharp teeth gleaming. “No need, my love.”

Apollo laughed at her, not caring that she was still so close to him with her fury on full display. “Your love? What is this? You think Old Man Winter over there wants some weak ass, complaining, ex-virgin? You wanted what we did and now you want to say it was rape to change how he sees you. Nope, not gonna happen. You were my girl that night and I’ll always be your first.”

Persephone began to laugh. It was soft at first but then grew in strength and volume as the wheels in her mind turned and landed on a solid idea. She would have her revenge on Apollo and it would be glorious.

“What are you laughing at, you crazy bitch?” Apollo spat on the ground as he said it.

Persephone’s laughter died abruptly. She drew her legs up to her chest and circled around Apollo. She seemed to be looking him over as though measuring him. A wicked smile came to her face. She flew back several feet and straightened out her legs once more. Suddenly, she jerked toward him and Apollo stepped backward to stop at the edge of the loading dock. He looked down and laughed. “Ooh, scary. I might fall at least ten whole feet. Good thing I’m a god.”

Persephone reached out with her powers to create enormous rose bushes beneath him. Apollo watched in horror as grotesque thorns grew and reached toward the sky. Hades stepped closer to them but still kept his distance, waiting for any sign that she needed his help. 

“What is this shit? What do you want from me?” Apollo sneered at her.

She stared at him with her clawed hands on her hips. “Can’t you guess? I want to hear you admit the truth. I want to hear you to beg me for forgiveness.”

“Fuck you!”

Persephone rolled her eyes. “Mmmm, no, I don’t want to. You didn’t impress me the first time and I don’t want a repeat performance. I’ll just have the truth from your mouth and be done with it.”

Hades and Eros exchanged glances. Eros seemed frightened for his friend but he was watching and listening; he too was ready to help if he was needed. Hades didn't feel fear for Persephone, just anxiety. She was holding her own against Apollo but the man was slippery. He wanted to destroy him, but this wasn’t his fight. She clearly wanted--needed--to do this herself. There was nothing in the realms that would make him take that from her.

Persephone swooped toward Apollo again so that he stepped back and teetered on the edge. This time, she was holding the stem of a perfectly bloomed, crimson rose in her hand. “You have to choose, Apollo. Do you want to fall into the rose bushes or do you want to grab hold of this single flower?”

Apollo looked down at the spikes on the bushes below him. Hades wondered what Persephone was playing at and where this was leading. He had no doubt he was about to witness her wrath in all its glory, and he was fighting to control his own form from bursting forth to join her.

With a roll of his eyes, Apollo grabbed the crimson rose’s stem. He grunted and hissed as the thorns dug into his hand. “I bet you don’t know that crimson roses represent mourning.” Persephone pulled him back from the edge of the dock and grinned. “That’s really the only choice you had, isn’t it Apollo? Saying no to me would seem impossible, wouldn’t it?”

He scoffed, “Well, yeah. I mean, what else was I going to do?”

As he spoke, his brain began to catch up with his words. He realized his own ignorance just as Persephone acted on it. Her eyes narrowed. “By your own rules then, you’ve consented to what I’m about to do to you.” 

The stem of the crimson rose elongated and branched swiftly, like a striking viper. Without thorns it lengthened and wrapped itself first around his hands, holding him in place, and then to the ground, shackling his feet so they wouldn't let him run away. Lastly, the end of the stem brushed across his lips. 

Persephone cooed. “Hmm, last chance. Tell the truth. Did you know what you were doing when you came into my room that night? Did you ever intend to leave without having had me?”

Apollo snickered. “Do you worst, Persephone. I’m not afraid of your useless skills with plants.”

Persephone hissed and shot forth with her vine once more. It was smooth and thin, but the vine forced its way through Apollo’s closed lips, pried open his teeth, and then slowly slid through his mouth. He was gagging and grabbing at it, but all to no avail. The rose had a mission to complete for Persephone, and it wasn't stopping there. Beyond his throat, it turned sharply and snaked its way through his nasal passages to burst forth from his nose. 

Apollo was screeching in anger and pain. Saliva and vomit were running down his swollen face that was already filled with spikes from the nettles. “Stop! You’re insane!” He could barely speak clearly around the mess he was in.

Persephone laughed again and tilted her head to look him over once more. “No, no. I’m not crazy. What I am is due an apology and your honesty. All you have to do is admit what you did and this will stop.” 

“I owe you nothing!” Apollo gargled out and then yanked at the vine again but screamed and fell to his knees as Persephone let it release a few of its thorns.

Hades rubbed his hands over his face and then planted them on his knees as he struggled to contain himself. He’d known his Little Goddess was capable of anger, but this was beyond comparison to anything else he’d ever witnessed. She was the most gloriously ruthless creature he’d ever seen.

She purred to him. “Come on, Apollo, I thought you were more mature than this? What was it you said that night? Oh, yes! ‘Surely you can make an exception for someone as grand as myself?’ Come on, out with the truth! Did you intend to take no for an answer from me that night?”

When Apollo still refused to admit what he had done to her, Persephone’s anger grew ten-fold. She unleashed all of the thorns on the vine at once. Apollo gagged and screamed in pain. Part of Persephone thought she should feel guilty for torturing him but the stronger part of her refused to listen. He was in pain and so had she been. He was in distress and so had she been. He was suffering and so had she suffered. Ichor was running down his face and neck now.

Persephone reminded him venomously. “All you have to do is tell the truth. Then all of this goes away.”

Apollo could no longer speak but he nodded and hung his head as if in defeat. Persephone retracted the thorns immediately and then quite suddenly ripped the vine out completely through Apollo’s mouth. His scream was horrendous and then he fell forward dry-heaving on the loading dock. Persephone kept her vines wrapped around his legs and arms to ensure he wouldn’t escape.

She looked to Hades and held a hand out to him, trusting somehow that he wouldn’t recoil from all that he’d just seen. “Hades, stand with me.”

Hades was beside her in two strides, his hand enveloping hers with an encouraging squeeze. He whispered to her, “Now who deals out lessons with torture for their own benefit?” She rolled her eyes at him but squeezed his hand in return.

Persephone was without pity for Apollo even as he struggled to sit back on his legs. “What really happened that night, Apollo?”

He spit out a mouthful of ichor and glared at her while panting. “Fine! I went to your room to wake you up and convince you to sleep with me. I thought we would both enjoy it. Yes, you told me about being an eternal maiden but I wasn’t convinced and I was right. We fucked. I’ve never had such a lousy lay in all my years. When I left, I thought you’d just been nervous and new to it all. I tried to make you happy and set up dates for us. You refused to answer my calls and then you decided I was a rapist. It’s not my fault you’re terrible in bed.”

Persephone glared at him and shook her head. Using a wild spray of greenery, she whipped him over the edge of the dock. He fell toward the elongated thorns of the rose bushes but was stopped by Persephone’s vines pulling taunt. He dangled inches from the gleaming tips. A particularly vicious thorn was directly in front of his stomach, ready to pierce if she released him. Against his will, a scream of terror was torn from his throat. He didn’t like the idea of having to heal from stab wounds to his vital organs. God of Medicine or not, it would be excruciating. 

“Alright! Alright! You win! Just pull me up!” Apollo was pulled back and dropped unceremoniously onto his rear end. He scrambled back from the edge and then spoke to Persephone. “Fine, yes, I went to your room with the intention of getting some ass that night. I knew I could pressure you with your behavior toward me and you’d give in easily.”

Persephone shook her head. “Say it. Say what you did to me and we’re done here.”

Apollo roared in fury at her as he struggled to his feet. “I raped you. Are you happy now?”

Persephone’s eyes cleared and her winged branches faded away immediately. Her hair fell limp and she slunk against Hades’ side, using her hands to push herself back to a standing position. “Am I happy about all this? No. I’m not a violent person by nature but I’m satisfied with you admitting the truth at last. I honestly worry about the women you’ve done this to other than me. I worry about the women you’ll pursue in the future. You’re a predator and you’ve shown no remorse for it.”

“I admitted it, why isn’t that enough?” Apollo glared at her.

Persephone let the vines disappear from Apollo’s body. “You didn’t apologize, though. That tells me that you’re not sorry for what you did. You’re not sorry for driving me to this point. You called me crazy and a bitch for feeling like I had to do this to make you accountable for your actions toward me.” He took a deep breath but remained silent. 

Persephone thought for a minute. “Apollo, can you imagine someone doing what you did to me but to your mother? Or your sister?”

Apollo’s glare faltered to be replaced by shock and then fear. He stared at her in silence for several minutes, clearly thinking about her words. Finally, he spoke. “I’m sorry, Persephone. I didn’t see it as wrong, just a way to show you some fun. I think I understand now. I would definitely come after anyone who touched my family if they felt pressured. I am sorry.”

Persephone nodded to him, believing him sincere. “We’re done here. Don’t speak to me. Don’t come near me. When we’re at official events together, we will be cordial to one another when it is necessary to speak. That’s it.”

Apollo had the decency to look embarrassed at last. “For what it’s worth, you’re the only being who has ever turned me down... What I did...I promise it won’t happen again.”

Hades spoke up, sensing Persephone was finished. “Goddess, do you want to take this to Zeus directly?”

Apollo seemed to pale under the harsh lights of the loading dock. Persephone looked at him coldly and then up to Hades. “Not if he swears his reform on the Styx.” 

All eyes turned to Apollo and waited. He puffed out his breath as he ran shaky hands through his hair. “Yes, alright. I’ll make the oath.” He looked at Hades and flinched under the sight of his anger. “How do I do this, King Hades?”

Hades’ eyes were now snowy white and his hair was blowing even though there was no wind, “Speak plainly and with detail. Don’t try any tricks with words to make loopholes. Styx won’t appreciate it, and her wrath is unmatched when challenged.” His skin turned to an endless night sky.

Apollo’s eyes were the size of saucers as he felt the power radiating from the king before him. “Give me a minute to think.” He turned to the side.

Hades didn’t dare look at Persephone when he felt her place her hand to his chest. He was certain she would cower away from him as soon as she saw him fully changed. 

“Hades, will you look at me?”

He shook his head, whispering, “You won’t like what you see, Kore.” He turned further to the side, keeping his eyes on Apollo. Still, he squeezed her hand before releasing it in the hope of letting her know he was still there for her.

Apollo shifted his feet to face them and cleared his throat before speaking loudly so they could all hear him. “I, Phoebus Apollo, God of the Sun, Music, Poetry, Medicine, Archery, and Science, swear upon the River Styx that I will never again coerce or force a being into having sex with me.” He paused as if waiting for a sign the oath had been accepted. 

When nothing happened he asked Hades, “How do I know it worked?”

Hades sneered at him. “You know because you made the oath. The words are binding. It’s done.”

Eros spoke for the first time. “Persephone, are you satisfied and ready to leave this matter behind you?”

“I’m satisfied and done with this.” She let out her breath.

Hades continued to stare at Apollo with his most primitive form on display. Every part of him wanted to destroy the god piece by piece. He knew he couldn’t do that. But he could have a little revenge of his own. Quick as lightning, he grabbed the back of Apollo’s neck with his hands and slammed his knee into his crotch. The thrill of triumph that washed through him let him return to his normal coloring. He watched as Apollo slid to the ground and moaned in pain.

Psyche and Persephone dissolved into embarrassed laughter while Eros grimaced on Apollo’s behalf. “Uncle, that was beneath you!” They all watched as the god rolled over to lay on his stomach and continued to writhe. 

Hades turned to them. “Nothing is beneath me when this goddess’ word has been threatened.” Persephone put a hand on her popped hip and looked at him dubiously. He chuckled and threw his hands up in defeat. “Also, he deserved it and I wanted to crush his...equipment.”

Eros, Persephone, and Psyche all made disgusted noises. Hades pursed his lips. “Picky, picky, picky. My realm, my rules.” He laughed and they joined him. 

Eros looked at Apollo again as he began to recover slightly. “Now what?”

Persephone offered, “He lives with Hermes. We could have him take him home.”

Psyche countered. “We’d have to explain or make up a lie. Neither is good. Besides, why should he have to leave the fun?”

Persephone sighed and groaned. “Oh, boy...Eros, can you go get Artemis for me, please?” He nodded and walked back into the building.

Psyche hugged Persephone fiercely. “That was quite something, Persephone. You were so strong and brave! I’m proud of you, my friend.”

Persephone returned her embrace tightly. “Thank you for being here. For encouraging me to sing that song and stand up to him. I didn’t expect this to happen, but I’m glad it’s all over now.”

Eros returned with Artemis but kept her at the door and motioned to Persephone. She walked to her friend and took in her confused, irritated expression. Artemis snapped at her. “What do you want?”

Psyche joined Eros and they returned to the gala. Persephone used their exit to lean against the door so Artemis was facing away from Apollo. She knew she only had one chance to convince Artemis of her story. “There is something you need to know. The reason I didn’t want your brother around me. I wanted to tell you before but I was afraid. The day I met him and we went shopping, he raped me after you left for the mortal realm. He’s been pursuing me since then and I’ve tried to make him understand that I don’t want a relationship with him but he’s not listened to me. Eros even shot arrows at him and threatened him but he didn’t believe I didn’t want him. That’s why I sang tonight. That’s why I was rarely at the house.”

Artemis’ face turned statue still for several seconds. Persephone didn’t think she was even breathing. Finally her hand reached out and gripped Persephone’s arm. “You’re telling me the truth, aren’t you? I can see it on your face. I’ve seen it from too many girls and women in the mortal realm. But why are you telling me now?”

Persephone swallowed her fear. “A little while ago Apollo dragged me out here. We argued. He didn’t want to admit what he’d done to me that night. But he finally did. He also swore a Stygian Oath to never rape another being. I don’t want anyone else to ever know about any of this. Eros, Psyche, Hades, Apollo, you, and I know. That’s it.”

Artemis began to look nervous. “Agreed. No one should know if you don’t want it. However, I still don’t know why you’re telling me this now, on a loading bay of all places, at a gala. And why are you so dirty? Persephone, where is my brother?”

Persephone nodded. “When he wouldn’t be honest, things got messy. I wasn’t merciless toward him but I certainly wasn’t gentle. He’s filthy and needs to go home.” She walked forward and showed Artemis where Apollo was standing hunched over near Hades.

Artemis rushed forward and he stood up a little. She looked him over without emotion and took in his ichor-stained face and clothing, the angry welts and nettles embedded in his skin. She noticed his posture and pursed her lips. “Did your balls get busted, you stupid idiot?”

Apollo coughed and groaned. “A little sympathy would be nice, Sis.”

She stared at him coldly. “Did you rape my 19 year old, just arrived, completely innocent and pure, sweet, virgin roommate?” 

“Well, at the time—“

Artemis yelled at him, “Just a friggin’ yes or no, Apollo!”

Apollo blanched. “Yes.”

Artemis stared at him, her blood seemed to simultaneously freeze in her veins while boiling. She screamed in pure rage and glared at him, her breath heaving. She turned to Persephone who now had her cheek on Hades’ chest with his arms around her. “What about you, King Hades?”

“What?” Hades jerked his head up and wasn’t sure what she wanted.

“How do I know you're any different? Your brothers—“

“My brothers are nothing like me and I’m not interested in behaving like them.”

Persephone looked to her. “Artemis, he’s wonderful to me. He’s not like that at all. I promise. You believed me with the worst, believe me with the best.” At Artemis’ nod and small smile, she turned her face away and let herself relax against Hades’ chest.

Artemis grabbed Apollo by his collar and dragged him up to stand fully. “We’re going now. Walk around this way and I’ll meet you at the corner with the car. Don’t speak to me.” Apollo jumped down to the ground and hurried away. Artemis looked back to Persephone in Hades’ arms. “I...Persephone?“

Hades looked down at Persephone and she shook her head slightly. He looked back to Artemis and spoke for her. “How about she reaches out next week and you two talk then?” Persephone nodded against him and Artemis smiled through the tears that had formed in her eyes. 

“Okay, next week. Just...just call me if you need me before then. I’m so sorry.” Her lip quivering, Artemis hurried through the door to collect her belongings.

Hades looked down to Persephone and held her tighter to him. He'd stand right there and wait to talk until she was ready, even if it took all night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me a review in the comments and let me know what you think of the depictions in this chapter. I was worried they were too graphic and/or too wordy. I welcome your feedback. Thank you for reading.


	8. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades and Persephone devise an exit strategy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any rights to Lore Olympus. That honor goes to the talented Rachel Smythe. I don't own any rights to the song Lemons. That honor goes to Brye Sebring.
> 
> Content warning: This story deals with Persephone moving on with her life after Apollo assaults and continues to approach her. There will be discussions that allude to her assault having occurred and possibly some verbal and physical altercation about Apollo's behavior. Do not read this story if you are sensitive to this topic or fear you may be triggered by it.
> 
> Chapter 7 content warning: TAGS HAVE BEEN UPDATED! This chapter contains violence, abuse, threats, and descriptions of pain and injury, as well as discussions of rape and descriptions of rape events. Do not read it if you are triggered or bothered by this. 
> 
> Chapter 8 content warning: This chapter picks up where chapter 7 left off. Do not read this if you are sensitive to the mention of violence, gore, or the mention of assault.

The sounds of laughter and music carried outside as Artemis left, but Hades was relieved when the door closed and left him alone in silence with Persephone. She was still resting her cheek against his chest and he was enjoying the feeling of simply holding her close to him. 

She had turned away from the twins as soon as Artemis had walked to Apollo. Her arms hung limply at her sides and she said nothing as she stood in front of him. She seemed completely drained and he could certainly understand why--all too well, he knew the toll it took to expend the levels of energy she just had. He’d opened his arms and she’d moved to rest against him.

After a few minutes of quiet stillness, he felt her hands gently fishing their way into his jacket pockets. He remembered suddenly how cold the air was there to her and knew that she must be freezing. 

“Sweetness, why didn’t you say something?” He pulled back from her long enough to remove his jacket and draped it around her. His arms encircled her again and she nuzzled her face into his stomach with her fists pulling the fabric over her chest.

He chuckled at her softly and she returned it when her head bounced up and down from the movement. She raised her face to slowly look up to him, the barest hint of a smile visible. She was feeling shy but she knew she had no reason for it. 

Her mind began to race with too many thoughts at once. “He’s seen the worst of me. He’s still here. He’s holding me. He should be running away screaming.” Nervous, she spoke softly to him, afraid he’d vanish. “You’re still here.”

Hades’ eyebrows furrowed briefly and then his face relaxed into a faint smile as he looked down at her. Running a gentle hand through her hair and tucking a piece of it behind her ear, he said, “Here is where I want to be.” 

Persephone flopped her head back against his chest and sighed audibly into his shirt. She brought her hands up along his back and hugged him for several moments. When she looked at him again, he was still smiling down at her. 

“Aren’t you terrified of what you saw me do? Disgusted with me? Or of what you learned?” 

His face grew serious. “Persephone...no, don’t even say that. Don’t think that. I’m not.” He could see anxiety building in her body language. “Listen, I’ve lived a very long time and I’ve been witness to many violent acts. I’ve been the judge of countless mortals for theirs and I’ve certainly taken part in more than my fair share of them.” He stopped when she spoke at his pause.

“Bringing down tyrants isn’t the same as--” she began but Hades cut her off.

“You didn’t attack an innocent man tonight, you took revenge on the god who raped you and then wouldn’t leave you alone--sounds like, borderline stalked you. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in that. No, I’m not disgusted by you or ashamed of you. I’m proud. Honestly, you impressed me, you amazed me. I am still in awe of your radiance from what I just witnessed.” He stopped but he could see her fear rising.

Persephone moved her hands to cross her chest and grasped the jacket to her shoulders. She felt regret coursing through her body in tremors that threatened to knock her down. “I tortured him, Hades. I did it because I wanted justice and I made him admit his crime, but it was still torture.”

He could see the guilt and anxiety threatening to overtake her. He carefully cupped her face between his palms in an attempt to comfort her. “Look at me, Persephone. Please.” She complied, slowly and hesitantly. “I have no doubt that whatever it is that’s still eating away at you is enormous. I don’t discount that. I want to know what it is so I can help you. Honesty, I do. But you have to trust me. I...care for you. So very much. Let me help you. But not here. Let’s get the others and go to my house, okay?”

He waited for her to nod in agreement and then continued. “I’ll use the same method I did in my ‘hiding place’ to repair your dress and then we can go back inside for your belongings. Will that be alright with you?” 

Persephone was nodding as soon as he started speaking. “Yes, but fix my hair while you’re at it. It’s pretty ridiculous.” She gave the pink puddle at feet a harsh look.

He chuckled. “Of course!” He concentrated for a few seconds and it was suddenly impossible to think that she’d been anything but perfect for the entire evening. “I didn’t tell you earlier but I really like the little flowers. All night I’ve been wanting to feel them,” he told her with a flirtatious grin.

She was still upset but couldn’t keep from smiling at his flirting. “Dare I say it?” At his eyebrow raise she added, “Thirty percent.”

He pretended to be wounded. “I shouldn’t complain but how have I dropped so low so fast? A few hours ago I was almost off the chart.” He gave her an exaggerated pout.

She laughed and stepped closer to him, her spirits returned. “Well, you were very supportive and protective with me, even though I’ve been a wild wave of emotions tonight. I think you’re due a gentle rating after all of that.” She leaned up and kissed him on his cheek. 

He sighed and closed his eyes as he turned to speak against her forehead with a kiss. “Let’s get out of here and go home.” 

She didn’t question his choice of words but they did send a thrill through her. “Ready when you are, but what do we do? We can’t go back in through the door by the bar. People will notice us and gods know we don’t want the tabloids to run with an angle that we’ve been out here all alone doing something sordid that they make up.”

Hades nodded and rolled his eyes with a deep sigh. “Paparazzi scum.” He thought for a moment and then said, “I’ll transfer you to that room from earlier and then you can come in with your phone as though you’ve been on a call in there again. Just make a show of it. I’ll come back out here and then enter through the bar door. I’ll text Eros to have Psyche meet you and for him to come over to me, just to make sure it’s noticeable that we came back inside without each other.” 

She hummed as she thought. “That makes sense. I’ll need a phone since mine is inside, though. Whoa, wait, why would you have been out here for so long?”

With small flourishes of his hands, he held a lit cigar in one and a scotch in the other. “Trust me, no one will question this behavior from me.” 

Persephone threw her head back and laughed. “Automatic jump to forty percent!”

Hades just smiled and rolled his eyes as the objects vanished. He took her hand and they appeared in the room across from the ballroom where he sent a quick message to Eros and then pocketed his phone. He summoned another in his hand and gave it to her. “I’ll need to make a call while I’m outside. This is just an unused phone but it’ll do the trick.” He handed her the phone, winked, and then was gone again. 

Persephone didn’t waste much time leaving as she held the phone to her ear. Timing was on her side for once that night because several heads turned to look at her in the hallway. She made sure to leave the door wide open so everyone could see she’d been alone inside. 

“Yes, that sounds great. I want to divide the readings because I’m overwhelmed. I’m so nervous for the exam on Thursday.” Psyche approached her just then and Persephone took her by the arm. “Okay, we have a plan. See you tomorrow. Bye!” 

She smiled at Psyche as she pretended to end the call. “Sorry about being gone so long but I had to get that worked out. Have you seen the others?” They walked into the ballroom and headed to her table after stopping to grab Persephone's purse and coat. Psyche picked up her own items and the pair sat down to wait for their dates.

When Hades reappeared on the loading bay, he pulled his cellphone from his jacket and dialed Alecto. She’d answered quickly and soon she and her sisters were listening closely. 

“Ladies, I need a special favor from you again. Don’t ask questions but instead trust that this is vitally important.” 

Surprisingly, it was Megaera who spoke up against him. “That sounds like it’s going to be another job that’s boring for us.”

“Meg, hush!” Alecto was quick to silence her while Tisiphone giggled quietly.

Hades felt his eyes turn bright red from his already-frayed patience. He forced himself to speak calmly and ignore their commonplace teasing. “Ladies, as I said, I can’t explain this to you and I’m calling you because I need to rely upon your impressive skills.”

The three went silent for several moments and Hades pursed his mouth as he realized he was running short on time. He finally deadpanned, “Also, there’s a ten thousand drachma bonus for each of you in it if you get your asses in gear right now.”

He heard the telltale sounds of excited snakes hissing and then Alecto shouted to Hades, “Yes, we’re in, Boss! Tell us what to do!”

“Come to the loading dock of the Underworld Events Center. Find the door that is outside the largest ballroom. You’ll see ichor and other unsavories around the area. Make it all disappear completely. Not a trace. Also, make sure there’s no surviving footage from this part of the building between midnight and twelve thirty. I don’t want recovery to be possible. However, I want a single copy of the footage on a flash drive. Bring it to my house tomorrow.”

Meg spoke up, “Oooh, Boss, you had fun tonight, huh?”

Hades put his fist to his forehead and groaned. “Are you three on your way yet or should I forget about the wire transfers?”

Alecto assured him, “Be there in ten minutes. No worries, we got this.”

He disconnected his call and soon after Eros stepped outside to join him. 

He watched as Eros’ invisible wings appear and then stretch out fully. He rose on his toes with a groan and his feathers shook as though they had become stiff. 

Hades chuckled. “Problem with your perfect pink plumage?”

Eros laughed. “Nah, it’s fine. I had to put them away for the crowded room is all. Feels good to move them. I don’t really need them unless I’m using my powers but I’m soooooo cute with them. I usually keep them out.” He laughed off his joke but quickly grew serious again. “How are you feeling?”

Hades put up a hand and nodded to him. “First, what is your drink of choice?” He summoned two fingers of his favorite scotch and looked expectantly at Eros. 

“Cognac for me.” Eros held out his hand and enjoyed the smell of the rich drink that materialized for him. “Oh, gods but that’s a great trick! Thanks.” Eros was waiting for him to continue but Hades didn’t look sure of what to say to him. So Eros took a drink and said, “I was proud of how you supported her when she confronted Apollo. That took a lot of control on your part, I’m sure, but you did the right thing for her. She needed and wanted this. She's taken back the reins after he stole them from her.”

Hades pulled his head up from his drink. “You really think so? I didn’t want to barge in on what she was doing but I wouldn’t have let her get hurt.”

Eros smiled at him. “You can protect her moving forward but you can’t change that she was raped.”

Hades cringed at the word rape and cut him off. “I know I can’t change history. Trust me, I learned that lesson centuries ago. I just want her taken care of moving forward. I don't want her to have to worry ever again.”

Eros wanted him to keep speaking, knowing he needed it. He lowered his tone and volume so Hades had to listen more carefully to him. “Of course you do. You love her. You want the world for her.”

Hades didn’t hesitate. “More than anything.”

Eros smiled at his honesty. “If she came to you tomorrow and told you that you’d never have to take care of anything on your own ever again, what would you say?”

Hades’ face screwed up into a look of annoyance. “That’s a ridiculous comparison attempt. I’m perfectly capable of my life on my own. It’s a totally different--”

“How?” Eros spoke louder. 

“How what?” Hades stopped in frustration.

“How is it so different for you? You survived the worst childhood trauma I’ve ever heard of. You have had the weight of your crown for centuries. The Underworld is a dark, demanding, stressful place. You run the largest company in the realms. On top of that, you had years of Minthe and her cruelty. Exactly how does all of that sound any different or less of a burden for one being to handle on their own than what Persephone has gone through?”

Hades stared at his nephew for several moments. When he spoke, there was shock evident in his voice. “No one ever talks about that. I honestly thought everyone had decided this place runs itself and life was just as easy for me as it is for the other two. How do you even know all that?”

Eros shimmied and fluffed his feathers. “Uh, hello Uncle. Direct link to emotional well being. There’s more to physical love than just sex.” 

Hades ran his free hand through his hair and walked around the space. “So you’re telling me..what exactly? Don’t protect her?”

Eros nodded to him. “You can be protective, sure. Just don’t overdo it. Her mother kept her hidden away and she had to find a way to get away from her. Then she came here and Apollo tried to keep her with him. She’s crazy about you, Hades. Don’t smother her to keep her safe. I honesty think she’d explode. Just, let her heal mentally. Support her. Talk to her. Listen to her. Don’t let her do nothing, you know. Encourage her to go to therapy. Just don’t try to plan her life for her. She’s too smart for that and she won’t appreciate it. You wouldn’t help her and you’d be driving her away.”

Hades thought in silence for several moments as he processed what he’d been told. “That makes a lot of sense.”

The men sipped their drinks in silence for a few minutes. Hades polished off his scotch and hissed as he felt the flavor burn down his chest and into his stomach. 

“Thank you for helping her so much already, Eros. And me. I want her to be happy. That’s all.”

Eros smiled and they began walking to the door. “You’re welcome and you’ll do great.” They set down their empty glasses at the bar and then went to the table where Hades was pleased to see Persephone cheerfully talking with Psyche. A few minutes later they were on their way out the doors.

In the limo, Psyche sagged against Eros and enjoyed holding his hand as it draped around her shoulders. “I’m so proud for you, Persephone. You accomplished so much tonight!”

Persephone had been leaning back in her seat but she sat forward at this. “What do you mean? Because I gave Apollo a nosebleed?”

Eros interrupted with a dramatic snort. “Ha! That was no nosebleed, that was a grade A, godsdamned ass-smacking and it was fantastic!”

Hades laughed and held up his arms in a shrug that said “I told you” as Persephone looked at him in surprise. She laughed a little though, to his delight.

Psyche continued with a teasing but pointed sideways glance to Eros. “What I meant was that tonight you really took a stand for yourself. You left TGOEM, you set boundaries with your mother, you stood up to Apollo and got your revenge, and next week you’ll be finding your own place to live. My friend, this is an exciting time for you. You must appreciate that and celebrate yourself. You’ve earned it.”

Persephone laughed a little more freely this time. “Well, in that case, how about we get a jump on that with a bit more champagne?”

Hades rubbed his hands together. “Well, as it happens, there is another bottle that’s chilled and ready.” Hades smiled and reached to grab it from its hiding spot. The inhabitants of the car cheered and soon were toasting Persephone’s achievements from the night, Hades’ amazing gala and the enormous donation total that had been reached for the year, and any other positives the group could think of.

Inside the house, Hades let the excited pack of dogs outside while Eros, Psyche, and Persephone went upstairs together. They quickly had all of the beauty products packed away and loaded into their bags. Eros, however, handed one to Persephone with a smile.

“What’s this for?” she asked him, confused.

Psyche smiled as he began to explain. “Sooooo, as my mother’s son and me being me, I made a just-in-case bag for you.”

Persephone blushed as she imagined what was inside the bag. “What’s in there?”

Psyche assured her it was harmless. “There are some basic toiletries and pajamas, a casual change of clothes and underthings that will fit since Eros knows your sizes, and some more enticing items, too.”

“Enticing as in..?” Persephone asked.

Eros hummed happily as Persephone’s eyes flew wide open. “Lingerie, Pinky. It’s in there just in case you decide to do anything unplanned. Relax! You deserve to feel empowered if you decide to make this separate bedroom situation a sleepover instead. I just wanted to provide you with options that I figured you wouldn’t consider ahead of time.”

Persephone was blushing deeply now. “But I wasn’t even planning on staying here until a few hours ago. How did you know to pack that?”

Eros smiled, “Like I said, I packed it just in case. The God of Sex knows what he’s doing.” He bounced his eyebrows and they all laughed. 

Persephone hugged each of them fiercely. “Thank you so much for everything. You’re the most amazing friends I could ever hope to have.” Downstairs they loaded the bags into Eros’ car, said their farewells, and the pair were soon on their way. 

Hades shut and locked the front door while Persephone walked into the kitchen to play with the dogs and wait for him. When he found her, she asked, “Can you drop the illusion for me, please?” He did and her hair fell into a pile at her feet with an audible “plop” that had them both snickering. 

Hades motioned to a barstool and produced a pair of sharp scissors. “I’m not trained to cut hair but I’m happy to help if you’d like.” 

She nodded and settled into her chair while he quickly used his phone to have upbeat music coming through speakers all around them. She was grateful for it because it was incredibly quiet with just the two of them.

Hades approached her hair as though it was made of glass and she giggled at him. “You know, it’s easy to grow again. Don’t stress so much.”

He chuckled and smoothed it down her back. “Okay, okay, I’ll lighten up. Tell me, how long do you want it to be?” 

Persephone considered this for a moment and said, “How about you just go straight across at my shoulders?” She smiled sweetly and didn’t warn him of what to expect. So she thoroughly enjoyed the look of confused shock that came over his face when he made the first cut at her side. 

“Flowers? Your hair becomes flowers! Little Goddess, you just get more and more irresistible, don’t you?” He shook his head and laughed as she smiled at him mischievously. He continued cutting carefully at her hair until it was much more manageable for her. He felt rather proud of the job he did, really. “You know what, it’s actually straight.”

Persephone laughed as he waved his hand and the petals swept into his trash bin. “Now what, Hades?”

He smiled at her. “Well, that depends on what you want to do. It’s one thirty now. We could build a fire and talk, have more drinks, go to sleep, eat a late dinner if you’re hungry, swim, go to the sauna or the hot tub and talk, watch something on--”

Persephone looked confused. “What’s a hot tub?”

Hades’ eyebrows rose. “It’s like a small thermal bath. You sit against steps and there are bubbling jets of hot water. You’ve seriously never been in one?”

Persephone shook her head. “I’ve been in large baths in the mortal realm once or twice, but no, never anything like that. Usually I would bathe in the lakes. What do you wear in a hot tub or do you wear nothing like in a bath?”

Hades blushed and rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous laugh. “Uh, well, that depends, er, actually… Umm, suits! Yes, we need to wear our swim trunks. Er, suits. Did you bring one?” At her barely contained laughter and shaking head, he stopped babbling and blushed again.

Persephone squeezed his hand and asked, “I think I can figure something out with what I have with me. I’m sorry about asking at all. I still forget that being nude isn’t commonplace here like it is there.”

Embarrassed and irritated with himself, Hades nodded and strode off to his room to change. He brushed his teeth in his bathroom, checked himself over, went to the restroom, and then grabbed his favorite pair of trunks and a long, thick robe. Thinking ahead, he picked out another for Persephone, this one hit him at mid-calf so he hoped it would work well for her as a long robe. 

As he passed her door, he could hear her moving around inside. He knocked and she opened it slightly, smiling at him. “I have an extra robe for you. It’s cotton so it’ll be warmer than your blue one.” She looked confused by this as she took it from him. He added, “Trust me, it’s for when we’re done. You’ll feel cold when you first get out of the hot water.” She murmured her thanks and closed the door again.

Hades went downstairs and checked the settings on the hot tub to make sure it would be comfortable for them. Then he headed to the kitchen to set out some food for later in case she was feeling hungry. He also poured two tall pool glasses with juice and sparkling water to help with all the alcohol they’d been drinking. He was too excited about having her in his house again to stay still. 

Persephone had removed her dress and put it in the trash, knowing it was beyond repair. She brushed her teeth, took off her jewelry and makeup, trimmed her hair a little to make it less blunt, and used the restroom. She removed her bustier and sighed in relief as she folded it away, hoping to never have to wear it again. As luck had it, Eros had packed her several bras and panties that included a demure set of briefs and a matching bra. While they had lace edging on them, they were made of cotton and really weren’t that different from a swimsuit cut. Looking herself over in the mirror, she nodded in satisfaction to see she was covered and supported comfortably by the bra and the panties fit perfectly. Feeling confident, she rolled up the robe sleeves, slipped it on, and went to find Hades downstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	9. Hot Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades and Persephone discuss many truths between them. UPDATED 1/25/2021

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any rights to Lore Olympus. That honor goes to the talented Rachel Smythe. I don't own any rights to the song Lemons. That honor goes to Brye Sebring.
> 
> Content warning: This story deals with Persephone moving on with her life after Apollo assaults and continues to approach her. There will be discussions that allude to her assault having occurred and possibly some verbal and physical altercation about Apollo's behavior. Do not read this story if you are sensitive to this topic or fear you may be triggered by it.
> 
> Chapter 7 content warning: TAGS HAVE BEEN UPDATED! This chapter contains violence, abuse, threats, and descriptions of pain and injury, as well as discussions of rape and descriptions of rape events. Do not read it if you are triggered or bothered by this.
> 
> Chapter 8 content warning: This chapter picks up where chapter 7 left off. Do not read this if you are sensitive to the mention of violence, gore, or the mention of assault.
> 
> Chapter 9 content warning: This chapter contains graphic discussions and depictions of violence, body image struggles, as well as violent thoughts. If you are sensitive to any of these, do not read.

Hades was leaning against the counter in the kitchen with his robe belted. She discovered that he had set out food, made drinks, and even had a fire going in the living room. As she approached him, he held out a hand to her with one of the large cups. “Fruit juice and sparkling water to chase away the alcohol.”

Persephone smiled and thanked him. “You’ve been busy. Was I gone too long?”

“Not at all. Ready?” She nodded eagerly. He held her free hand and they walked in silence, stealing grins at each other. “That robe almost drags the floor on you without your heels.” He teased.

She sassed right back. “Well, your head almost scrapes the ceiling when you’re barefoot so we’re technically both vertically challenged.”

His laugh echoed off the walls as they entered the pool room. The music was still playing but it was background noise now—just enough to keep awkward silences at bay. 

Persephone heard the sounds of bubbling water and approached the area built into the foundation cautiously. Steam rose from the water and she couldn’t tell how deep it was as the water churned. Hades took their drinks and set them on the edge of the water.

Turning to her, he asked, “Are you alright? You look nervous.”

She smiled shakily. “How deep is it?”

He smiled at her reassuringly. “It’s deeper in some seating places but I’ll show you where a taller spot is, don’t worry. The whole tub itself is never deeper than about four feet. You’re safe. I’ll get in first and then help you. You might need to float up a bit to get in.” He untied his robe and then hesitated with his hands ready to pull it off, his smile faltering. 

Persephone reached a hand out to his arm. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Hades looked into her eyes and sighed sadly. “When I’ve worn my chiton, I’m sure you’ve noticed that I have scars on my arms and chest.” She nodded and smiled at him encouragingly. He brought a hand up to his chin as he continued. “They’re all over me. Front and back. You’ll be able to see them and I don’t want to...bother you. I’ll go grab a shirt right quick.”

Persephone’s heart broke for him in that instant and she held her arms out for him to stop moving. “Hades, no, please. I don’t know what has happened in the past to make you feel this way about your body but I’m not going to be bothered by your scars. I have seen some of them, yes. I assume they’re from the Titanomachy?” He nodded. “Well, at the risk of sounding dramatic and certainly being a couple millenia late, thank you for fighting to make our world safe. I’m so proud you stood up to the Titans. Your scars just prove your bravery and how hard you fought.” She pulled his head down and kissed the corner of his mouth before hugging him tightly. “Please don’t be ashamed and please don’t hide from me.”

Hades looked down at her and she saw he’d relaxed some. “Kore...I...” His eyes were a little watery and she cupped his cheek to wipe away a bit of moisture she found. 

She stepped back and untied her own robe, stopping at the point he had. “Are you going to be upset to see that my body isn’t perfect? I’m healthy and active but I’ve always been curvy and soft. I don’t have toned muscles or smooth thighs.”

Hades grinned and leaned toward her. “I happen to find those curves of yours quite enticing.”

She playfully pushed him back with a finger to his chest. “Great, because it’s not going to change! So, it appears we have no issues here to tackle. Let’s get in!”

Hades chuckled and took off his robe. He hung it on a wall hook before turning to collect hers and do the same. He tried to keep his eyes on her face but it was very difficult for him.

“Don’t be a creep! Don’t be a creep! Don’t stare at her!” He shook himself mentally and stepped into the water so he could turn and help her. She took both of his hands and floated over the edge with her legs bent back before uncurling herself and slowly dipping into the water. 

She squealed and laughed at the bubbles as they rolled over her skin. “Gods yes, this is amazing!”

For Hades, the water was only up to the tops of his thighs as he stood there. For Persephone, it was her stomach. He pulled her over to the tallest seat and helped her feel for what was in the water, pointing out the jets to her and how to turn them if she wanted. He brought their glasses over before settling down beside her in a lower seat, thus matching her height for a change. 

“Ooh, I like this. It’s like being massaged and cuddled at the same time.” He chuckled and held one of her hands in his as she reached over and ran her other over his cheek briefly before saying, “As much as I’d like nothing better than to simply enjoy this with you, we do need to talk. I don’t think I’ll have the nerve to do it again another time if I don’t tonight.”

He pulled her hand to his lips for a kiss, released her, and gave a nod to say he was ready to listen.

Persephone took a deep breath that she pushed right back out. “It’s hard to know where to start.”

“Well, how about we pick up where we left off after you confronted Apollo? You told me that you felt what you did to him was torture and that was wrong. Tell me why that is.”

Fresh waves of guilt came crashing down on her suddenly, threatening to pull her under completely this time. “I enjoyed torturing him because I was furious at what he did to me and how he acted about it. I created horror and pain from my godly gift and I used that to make him suffer. I laughed at him because I felt no mercy for him at all. When he denied it tonight and made excuses, I just wanted him to hurt.” 

Hades tried to reassure her. “Kore, that’s all completely normal for our kind. You were in your vengeful form and tapping into the oldest, most primal of our powers as gods. Any other among us would have taken things much further than what you did tonight.”

She didn’t look convinced and he stopped to think for a moment, trying to find a way to help her understand what he said was the truth. “When you and Ares were in line to talk to me, he hurled a guy out of floor 99 just for annoying him, right? And I ripped that reporter’s eye out for a photograph and some gossip. What did you do to Apollo tonight, huh?” He bobbed his head to force her line of sight to match his when she tried to look away from him. “You made him apologize and own up to what he did to you. Yes, you were wrathful but you were entitled to it, and you only used as much as you needed to get what you wanted.” He grinned at her. “You were just more colorful and creative than most of us in your delivery is all.” When she smiled a little at this, he added, “Persephone, you haven’t done anything wicked or wrong.

Her face fell again and she shook her head slowly, eyes growing wide and damp. “Don’t say that. You don’t know what all I’ve done.” 

To his horror, tears began trickling down her cheeks and her shaking increased. He took her drink from her and set it aside. 

Persephone wrenched out a sob and held her head in her hands. Hades was heartsick when she whimpered out, “You’ll hate me when you know. You will. I did something truly unforgivable.” 

When she wouldn’t respond to him, Hades shifted so that he was kneeling in front of her in the water. She hid her face in her hands as she continued to cry silently until he took her wrists and pulled them gently downward. She surprised him by surging forward and hugging him around the neck with both of her arms. She buried her face in his chest. 

He wrapped his arms around her and held her while he said, “No matter what it is you’ve done, I could never hate you. Persephone, I’m in love with you.”

Persephone lifted her head to look at him, unable to believe what she was hearing and yet having known it all along. She reached up and brushed her tears from her eyes and then slid her hands over her cheeks. “Really? You mean that?” She couldn’t keep herself from smiling. Her heart was pounding with excitement.

Hades nodded with a sweet smile on his face. “I’ve felt it since the first week I met you. I fought it, because, well, for a lot of reasons--the age difference, TGOEM, and my own laundry list of issues. But the truth is, you’ve turned me upside down and backwards and I’ve enjoyed every minute of being with you. You’re precious to me. I’ve not been the same since I first met you. You’re strong, sweet, brave and funny, and you’ve got a temper hidden that I can’t resist. You care so much about everyone and everything. I love you, Kore.”

Persephone reached out and held his face in her hands, stroking his cheeks with her fingers. “I love you, too, Hades. I’ve known for a long time. I felt it that first day I woke up here. I wasn’t looking for someone when I met you, but you have been with me every second of every day since I did. You’re the kindest, most caring person I’ve ever known. Time with you is time I always treasure, no matter how brief of insignificant it may be. You’re smart and funny, so genuine in everything you do. Being with you makes me happy. I love you, Hades.”

Hades could feel every nerve in his body tingling and he wasn’t sure if he would remember how to breathe ever again. Clumsily, he put his hands around her ribs and pulled her up to his chest as he stood, water rushing off of them both. Persephone wrapped her arms and legs around him immediately, neither caring about the cold air hitting them as they stood there embracing each other. For several moments, they simply clung to one another and held on tightly, then Hades lowered her back into the water so she could stand with him. 

He’d kissed her at the gala but it had been brief and unexpected for them both. This time, their kiss began slowly and gently as they brought their mouths together. It soon became a much more passionate kiss that had them breaking away for air several times. At last they did begin to shiver, and they chuckled softly together as they embraced again. Persephone pulled him back to the warm water, and he followed without question. 

He held her in his lap, turned against his chest. “Gods, can you really be here right now?” He spoke with wonder in his voice and she giggled at him a little.

Persephone let her head rest against the crook of his neck and she answered, “I’m here, I promise. Are you a dream that I’ll be disappointed to wake up from?”

“Ha! I’m certainly not a dream and you’re not a mirage. I think we’re really here together, Little Goddess.” They both chuckled and then grew serious again when he cleared his throat. “I am sorry about the timing, though. I didn’t mean for all that to happen right this moment. I was trying to reassure you but I meant every word of what I said. I love you, Persephone. Trust me, talk to me. Please. Tell me what happened and I’ll still be here to support you. I could never hate you, but I want to know what it is that makes you think I could. I'm worried now.”

She nodded grimly and scooted back to her seat beside him. They both drank deeply from their glasses and then she started explaining again.

“There are two pieces to this, actually. I’ll start with the easier one, also the more recent. You and I had actually met before the night of the party. It was brief and I know you don’t remember it at all. That’s why I never said anything about it before now, and why I pretended to not know who you were the morning I was here. I didn’t want to have to explain it because it was, well is, completely...embarrassing.”

Hades spoke up at this, remembering suddenly that the Fates were going to have a tape of that for him sometime soon. “I actually did learn about that from Hecate.” He blushed deeply at her gasp of surprise. “I was so enamored with you after we met that morning that I begged her for one of her letters from you when I found out she knew you. She gave me the one where you talked about hoping I didn’t have a hangover.”

“Ahhhh...well, Hecate...she doesn’t know the whole story. She just knows that I saw you that night in her room. The truth is, I talked to you for a little while. You were very drunk but I was desperate so I asked if you could help me bring back mortals from the afterlife. You told me no, of course. And I know now from working with you that it was so silly to even ask you, but back then I had no idea how things worked here. I had envisioned you unlocking a door and pulling souls out of mist or something ridiculous like that.”

Hades looked confused and a little amused. “Well, that’s not so embarrassing. I mean, I get that request a lot. And it makes sense that you didn’t know until you joined the company, most don’t. I don’t have a magical mist portal, sadly, but I still don’t see the big deal here.”

Persephone laughed once and then began to fidget with her hands. She avoided his gaze. “Um, you see…” She hesitated again and then finally just rushed it out. “I turned into a butterfly to sneak in and see you, and then you were asleep so I landed on your face, but then you woke up and decided to scare me because you thought I had challenged you to do it, and then I panicked and lost control so I fell on top of you stark naked.” Hades suddenly had the look of a marble statue. “After all that is when we talked about the dead mortals.”

He was dumbstruck and blinked several times as he tried to process all of what she’d just explained. “Whaaaat?” Finally, he roared with laughter. He stopped after several seconds of trying to control himself when she looked annoyed with him. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Still, wow. Okay, who did you want me to bring back in the first place? I’ve never heard you talk about being close to mortals. Were they from temples for you or Demeter?”

Persephone drank heavily from her water again as she tried to summon enough courage to tell him about the very worst of herself. “That brings us to the second part of all this.” Hades wasn’t laughing now. Her change in tone had put a stop to that immediately. He was listening intently to her and reached his hands out to hold hers. She accepted and took another deep breath. “The same summer I met you, shortly before then...I killed some mortals.”

Hades looked at her in surprise again, his head tilting back a bit from the shock. He squeezed both of her hands in support. “I see… I’m sorry that happened. I’m sure you felt terrible about it. But accidents do happen and they are fragile beings--”

Persephone cut him off. “It wasn’t an accident, Hades.” 

He cleared his throat and leaned forward to make sure he was hearing her correctly. 

She breathed out, “Not most of it, anyway.”

Persephone’s hands started shaking and he held on tighter to them as she continued. “You said tonight I was in my most primal, powerful form as a goddess. That’s what I was like when this happened, only I was about fifty feet tall at the time.”

Hades' jaw dropped open a bit. “Fucking Fates, I didn’t know anyone could do that anymore! Okay, so, your sudden height increase aside, what prompted all of this?”

Persephone continued to shake and she pulled her hands away to cup them behind her neck as she talked. “I was in a dark mood. I had already been arguing with my mother for several weeks about wanting to move to Olympus and go to school. The nymphs were always around me, everywhere I went, and I had no privacy at all anymore because of an incident with Ares months before all of this happened. I was on edge, had been on edge for quite a while.” Tears were beginning to shine in her eyes.

Persephone was shaking all over now and she wrapped her hands around herself tightly. It was clear to Hades that it had nothing to do with being cold so he reached out and rubbed her back in soothing circles. 

“You’re doing great, Kore, please keep talking to me. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”

Persephone looked up to him and her tears were rolling down her cheeks. “My mother and I had a huge verbal altercation. I went into the woods for privacy and two of my nymphs followed me. Then they disintegrated in front of me. There was nothing I could do to help them. It was so awful! I could feel with my power that sacred lands were being destroyed and I went to where it was happening. Men from the local village were ripping out plants by the roots to clear the way for their own purposes.” She sobbed heavily but Hades didn’t try to stop her. He could tell that she was close to finishing her story. “The worst part is that they tried to lie about it to me. It was so weak, given that my mother had been there centuries, I’d grown up there, and they knew who we were. Our home was right next door so to speak. They claimed they didn’t know it was sacred land but I knew better. There were signs, offerings, lots of warnings not to touch the plants or go on the land. They just ignored them, killing a nymph everytime they killed a plant.”

She cried into her hands a few seconds before continuing. “There’s no excuse for murder, there’s not. I was just so overwhelmed already, and then one of those men pushed me down and mocked me for being an unimportant goddess. “ She paused and tilted her head back while taking deep breaths before looking at him again. “Hades, this is the worst part. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done, truly. I killed that mortal with my scythe. It was done and over before I even thought about it. Then, I couldn’t stop. When the others started running away and screaming, I grew in size and followed them. I wanted to help them because I was so ashamed at what I’d done, but I couldn’t use my body correctly at all. I stepped on them and crushed others when I tried to pick them up and get them safely away from a giant tree I grew in the middle of their village. In a matter of moments, I’d killed them all.”

“Why did you grow that tree?” Hades asked gently.

Persephone shrugged and grimaced. “I don’t actually know. It was enormous and it destroyed their village. I couldn’t help them at all as big and clumsy as I was. I killed them all.”

When she had told her story, she fell silent. She slumped against the wall of the hot tub and held her head in her hands as she waited for him to say something. It felt like a lifetime passed until he did. 

He spoke carefully, as if trying to find the right words for her. “I admit, I’m astonished at what you’ve just told me. I never would have guessed you’d be capable of that type of violence and rage, but, honestly, truthfully, I see why you did it.”

“What?” Persephone bolted forward to stare directly into his face. “How can you say that after what I’ve just told you? Hades, I’m a killer! If Zeus found out about this...I don’t want to think about what he’d do to me. I imagine it would make Prometheus’ situation seem like a spa day compared to mine.”

Hades seemed to consider the likelihood of this very slim. “I seriously doubt that would be the case for your situation. He can be ruthless with punishments, yes, but you have to realize that those come when he himself has been insulted or embarrassed. What you did in the mortal realm has nothing to do with him. He would definitely be angry and yell at you, there’s no doubt about that. Yes, you killed a village full of mortals, but you only murdered one of them. He might want to punish you, but you do have me on your side, you know. I wouldn’t let him do that.”

Persephone shook her head vehemently. “No, I can’t let you do that for me. It’s not fair to you! You’d be risking your relationship with your brother over me. It’s not right!”

Hades grinned at her. “I’ve asked this of you before and you always seem to ignore the implications of it. Did you forget that I’m a king? Sweetness, this isn’t up for debate. If anything comes of this, which I doubt it will, I won’t let it go far.”

Persephone sat back in her spot again, truly dumbfounded by his reaction. “How can you be so relaxed about this? I’ve just been sitting here, telling you that I murdered a village full of mortals. How can you stand to be near me at all? Aren’t you afraid of me now?” She was practically screaming at him by the time she finished. Her eyes were wide and frightened. “You saw me tonight with Apollo! You saw it all! I wanted to hurt him! I wanted to make him suffer--”

Hades listened calmly and then cut her off. “And then you stopped.”

Persephone fell silent. “Excuse me?”

He leaned forward and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Tonight I watched you, just like you said. I wasn’t afraid of you then and I’m not afraid of you now. You didn’t attack him out of the blue, Persephone. You asked him for the truth, you warned him multiple times, and then you started torturing him. You were very creative with it, sure, but that’s really beside the point. You could have done so much more to him but you didn’t. Why is that?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Well obviously I can’t go around torturing everyone for every little thing, Hades. It doesn’t work that way. You know that, you’re the ultimate judge of all souls.”

He nodded. “Uh huh, and why is it that you stopped with Apollo? You can grow as tall as a Titan. What’s the issue? Why can’t you just do what you want?”

Persephone stood up, suddenly unsure of where Hades was going with this but not liking it at all. “Hades, what the fuck are you talking about? You know full well that gods and goddesses can’t go around doing whatever we please, gifting away everything or likewise killing at random. It’s wrong. It’s wicked. It’s unnatural.”

Hades stood up with a smile on his face. “And that’s why I’m not afraid of you, Kore.” When she looked confused, he explained. “Sweetness, last year you lost control when you’d been pushed beyond your limits. Today, you only used your powers enough to get what you wanted. Gods, you even offered Apollo a way to move on with his own life a little bit smarter from this whole situation. That’s not the earmark of a maniacal killer or of someone I should fear. That’s the mark of a loving goddess who learned from her past to move forward with her future. You say I’m the ultimate judge? Fine, I judge you as good, Persephone.”

Persephone looked into his confident face and then stepped toward him. He opened his arms and she cuddled against him for several moments. The relief of no longer keeping her greatest shame to herself left her feeling lighter and at ease. She leaned back to look at him. “How about some food in front of that fire you built? Maybe some more water, too.”

He nodded and they climbed out of the pool together. Hades did his best to avoid looking at her again, certain she’d not be impressed to find drool running down his face. He handed her robe to her and helped her slip it on before grabbing his own. “How about we shower and meet back downstairs?” She nodded and left the pool room as he adjusted the dials on the hot tub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Please leave me a comment and bookmark the story for further chapter updates.


	10. Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Hades' turn to talk about his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any rights to Lore Olympus. That honor goes to the talented Rachel Smythe. I don't own any rights to the song Lemons. That honor goes to Brye Sebring.
> 
> Content warning: This story deals with Persephone moving on with her life after Apollo assaults and continues to approach her. There will be discussions that allude to her assault having occurred and possibly some verbal and physical altercations about Apollo's behavior. Do not read this story if you are sensitive to this topic or fear you may be triggered by it.

Persephone brought their cups to the kitchen and set them on the countertop. Hades was just a few seconds behind her and asked, “I just realized; would you like something to wear? I’m sure your work clothes from this morning won’t be comfortable for the night.” He was pulling out juice and sparkling water to refill their glasses. 

Without thinking, she replied cheerfully, “Oh, thank you, but don’t worry, I have a whole slew of things I can wear.”

Hades paused and looked at her with a confused twist of his face that morphed quickly into his scoundrel-smirk. “Do you now?” 

She realized how she sounded and froze with her eyes wide. “No, no, no, I didn’t mean that I brought things here on purpose.” She held up her hands and waved them frantically as his grin grew more devilish. “Well, I did for the gala but not for sleeping with you!” She closed her eyes and palmed her face before correcting herself. “Sleeping here was not planned!” She opened her eyes and pushed her fists down at her sides in frustrated resolution.

Hades was physically and mentally unable to stop himself from having fun with this situation. He crossed his arms and threw his hip out to the side in an imposing stance. He forced his most lascivious expression to remain on his face as he spoke smoothly. “I guarantee you I’m not upset.” 

She sucked in her breath and her pulse began pounding. “Wh-wh-what?” 

Hades pressed on, unsure of how long he could maintain this over-sexed front, but appreciating the chance for brevity after such a heavy and emotional conversation with Persephone. He held a hand over his heart as he spoke. “Well, far be it for me to discourage you from your plan to sleep with me.”

At Persephone’s stressed moan, his imposing facade fell away and he shook with laughter. Persephone huffed and hissed out her relief before scrunching up her mouth in irritation at him. “Sugar snaps! I didn’t plan to stay here tonight, Hades, and you know it...you big, blue butthead!”

Hades held up his hands in mock-surrender and pulled her into a hug as he continued to laugh. She resisted this for a few seconds, swiping gentle slaps at him as he chuckled. “Alright, I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease you, Little Goddess.” She gave him one final swipe before grinning begrudgingly at him and laying her head against his chest with a loud huff. “I was only playing with you, Sweetness.”

Persephone huffed again, “I was telling the truth, though! Eros gave me some clothes he’d packed for me before he left. He called it a just-in-case bag. I didn’t know anything about it until after we got back here.”

“You didn’t have to explain it to me, Kore.” He peppered her forehead gently with kisses and then nuzzled against her ear. She wrapped her arms around him and he spoke quietly. “I don’t believe for a second that you were planning for any of this to happen. I wasn’t either, but I’m extremely happy that you’re here, and that we’ve shared all that we have. Truly, I don’t want you to be anywhere but here.”

Persephone pulled her head from his chest and sighed as she slid a hand to his chest and then caressed his chin. “I one hundred percent agree with you on that.” She stretched up to get a kiss from him and he gladly leaned down to her. 

After a quick kiss that left them both blushing slightly, they leaned their foreheads together and she spoke up. “You’re still rude for your teasing. You owe me for making me sweat like that.” 

Hades smiled and asked her breathlessly, “What would you like me to get you?”

Persephone jerked her head back from him. Her face was pure confusion. “Uhhh, I don’t want you to get me anything.”

It was Hades’ turn to look bewildered. “Oh. Why? Um, how... well, then I don’t know how to make up for the teasing.” He reached up and ran his fingers through his hair and took a few steps back.

Persephone put her palms on his shoulders to steady him as she asked him gently, “Did you think I meant I would want you to buy me something?”

He nodded to her and she thought quietly before speaking. “Is that something that’s been normal for you in the past?” He shrugged and nodded to her, beginning to look embarrassed.

Persephone tented her fingertips around her nose and she gasped. “Oh, Hades, no! That’s terrible! Gods! I would never want to be given a makeup gift as an apology like that. I’m so sorry anyone ever did that to you!”

Hades searched her face and asked, “Then how can I possibly make it up to you?”

“Oh, Hades,” She kissed his shoulder and said, “I’m more of a quality-time-together girl. Just spend time with me, being you. I don’t need or want a present.”

Hades hooked his wrists under her bottom and brought her up into his arms for a kiss. “Fates, Persephone, I love you so much. Thank you.”

She cupped the back of his head and pecked light kisses all over his face. “I love you, too,” she sweetly said and then slid down from his arms. She added in a playful tone, ”You big, beautiful blueberry.”

Hades groaned at her use of Zeus’ horrible name from earlier in the night, and put his hand over his eyes before grinning down at her from underneath it. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you in a unique and wonderful way, I promise.” He paused and seemed to consider his words. Chuckling, he added, “You small, sexy starfish.” They both snickered before kissing again and then broke apart to take their showers. Persephone hurried away as he finished their drinks, knowing he would be quicker than she was. 

Upstairs, she pulled out everything from Eros’ bag and set it on her bed to look it over carefully. The lingerie he’d picked out for her was not nearly as risque as she had imagined, but it was still far too intimate for her to consider but the pajama set was. It was made from a fine cotton fabric with a lovely lemon tree print all over it and lace edging. The set itself consisted of a robe, shorts, and modest tank top. She thought to herself, “This is perfect. Mature and sexy but not seductive.” 

Faster than she ever had before, she showered and shaved. Feeling amazing, she dressed and then rubbed on some delicious smelling lotion. Eros had left her a hair dryer so she was able to avoid her new cut turning into a frizzy mess. As it ran, she made a mental note. “He and Psyche are getting baklava from me ASAP.” 

Hades had packed away the food and ordered delivery for margherita pizza with a large salad for them to share. He had rushed to his room to shower and change, not wanting to miss a moment he had with Persephone. He’d decided to shave for the third time in twenty four hours, a fact which made him chuckle at his reflection in the mirror. He showered before styling it as he normally did, and then dressed in soft lounge pants and a t-shirt. 

In the living room, he couldn’t sit still because he couldn’t stop imagining Persephone’s face when she found out about his past. “You have to tell her the truth about Hera. She already knows about Minthe so that’s over and done with. Hera is the only other one that really matters.” He pulled the coffee table toward the fireplace and set out their drinks with silverware and plates. He pushed his sofa up to it and grabbed a blanket with pillows for her. He even pulled his phone from his pocket and changed the music to something more relaxing so they could talk without distraction. He reminded himself, “Put on the brakes, stupid! You don’t want this to come off like a sleazy seduction attempt. She’s been through too much tonight. Just relax and slow down.” Deciding he could do little else, he sat down to wait for her and their food, distracting himself with answering work emails for a few minutes until the doorbell rang.

Hades was bringing the pizza into the living room when Persephone walked in looking fresh and cozy. She was delectable in her pajamas and he very nearly dropped the boxes in his hands because he wasn’t looking for his newly moved coffee table. Righting himself and the boxes with several awkward but impressive body jerks, he smiled broadly at her. “You are gorgeous! How about some pizza?”

Persephone had giggled at him and taken the salad box to prepare their plates as he set a large slice of pizza out for each of them. “Mmm, I love pizza! How did you know it’s my new favorite food to eat?”

He admitted, “Well, honestly, I didn’t but that’s handy information for the future. I ended up not liking the vegetarian options I had on hand so I ordered in. Pizza is about the only meal delivered this late.”

“Ah,” she said. “Artemis introduced me to pizza when I moved to Olympus. I’d never had it in the mortal realm. You might say I have a small addiction now.” He winked at her as she brought her hand up to measure a pinch since he had his mouth full of salad. 

Between bites he asked, “I’m curious about something you said earlier. How do you know Ares?”

She enjoyed her salad along with him as she explained their history. He listened intently and didn’t seem upset by what she told him, other than to be irritated with his nephew’s ruse. 

“He’s such an ass,” Hades hissed out after swallowing his last bite. “He and Aphrodite have too many children to count and yet he plays games like that. I’m sorry, Kore. What a rotten first kiss story.”

Persephone snorted. “Not my first kiss--that was actually just fine. Besides, don’t worry about me. I called out to my mother when I realized how he’d tricked me and what he’d been after from me.” At his glinting red eyes, she laughed. “It was very satisfying to watch her beat him repeatedly with her pitchfork in the field.”

“Nice!” Hades laughed. “Any others I should be aware of, Miss Persephone?”

Persephone considered. “One more... but I’m not sure how to tell you about him... I worry since he works for you.”

Hades looked at her closely, his previous observations coming back to him. “Oh, right, I bet it was Hermes.” He shrugged at her look of surprise. “I noticed he seemed to have a crush on you when you first started working. Plus, the balloons and flying you to work.” Hades took a bite of his pizza as he waited for her to comment.

Persephone nodded a few times and then explained, “Okay, well, we just made out in the mortal realm a few times when he brought mail to my mother. There was nothing much to it really...not a strings-attached type of situation.”

Hades snickered and spoke from behind his hand with his mouth full. “How’d you get away with that around Demeter? Doesn’t she have an army of nymphs around the property at all times?”

Persephone hesitated and then said, “Weeeell, I would bathe outside and Hermes would join me but he’d hold his breath and duck under if she came nearby. She’d go right along to give me privacy. She never even knew.”

Hades choked and coughed several times to right himself. His eyes watered and he had to drink quite a bit to speak clearly again. “Bathe! What? With Hermes?” At her look of irritation, he forced his voice to return to normal. “I’m not upset, not really, it was before we met of course, but are you telling me that you were naked with him in the water? With Hermes?”

Persephone nodded and then blushed a little. Hades fisted his hands in spite of himself as jealousy washed through him. He took a large bite of his pizza and ripped it savagely with his teeth. 

Persephone giggled at his blatant jealousy. “I’m so glad that in thousands of years you’ve never been naked with anyone other than me, Hades.” At his humorous glare over his pizza slice, she pushed on with, “Saving yourself for the right person is always the best route. Especially since you’ve never been in a romantic situation with any bright red beings.”

He rolled his eyes at her as he continued to chew, finally saying, “I see your point. I have no right to be upset. I’m just...feeling jealous. I’m sorry. You don’t owe me any sort of explanation for your past experiences. Gods know I’ve had several of my own in two thousand years.” 

Persephone smiled at him sweetly. “Thank you. I admit that I am jealous of your time with other women from your past, even though it’s silly and unfair of me to think that way.”

“It’s not silly,” Hades murmured before kissing her softly. “It’s just not something we can change now, not for either one of us.” An odd look came over his face. “We’ve not seen each other naked, Kore, why did you say that?”

She giggled again and then wished she hadn’t so she fussed at herself. “Fates, I’ve got to get it together and stop acting like a teenager!” She looked at him and whispered, “When I met you the first time, the real first time. Last year.”

“Ohhhh,” he breathed out. “That’s right, you told me. Well, that doesn’t really count since I can’t remember it. Although I do need to tell you something about that situation later.”

“Okay, I won’t. Also...if it helps you to feel any better...you were the first man to see me that way. Hermes was later.” 

He reached out to her silently and she curled into his lap, resting her forehead against his. “It matters to me, yes, but only because it was special enough to you that you shared it with me now. I may be old, Kore, but I’m not old fashioned. You’re entitled to have a life you lived before we came together.”

“So are you. I’m just so happy to be here with you now. I don’t want it any other way. I’d like to be with you more often, if you’d be open to that.” 

He tucked a piece of her loose hair away from her face and then interlaced their fingers. “I would genuinely love nothing more than to never be far from your side again.” He paused to relish in her small gasp before forcing himself to focus on what needed to be said between them. “I do need to tell you two things, though. One or both might upset you greatly. I’d like to say in advance that I’m sorry. That I love you.”

She moved back to her spot beside him to talk and continue eating. “Alright, I’m listening.” Persephone felt herself growing increasingly nervous as she watched Hades avoid his half-eaten food. She picked up her water and sipped it as she listened.

“First of all, about the night we met in the mortal realm. I told you before that Hecate gave me a letter you’d sent her. I knew we’d met and I didn’t understand why you’d pretend that we hadn’t.” He stopped and rubbed his fingertip over his mouth and bounced his leg for a moment, clearly anxious. “I...Gods, this is so embarrassing to say. I feel like a creepy stalker now.”

Persephone held out her hand to him. “Whatever it is, just tell me. I already know about the letter sharing and that was a little strange to me, but I wasn’t upset by it.”

He nodded and told her the truth. “Like I said, I was so completely infatuated with you after we met. I couldn’t stop thinking about you at all. I know how melodramatic this sounds, Persephone, but honestly it’s true: When I met you, I regretted every other relationship, fling, or whatever else there’s been. Nothing else mattered to me other than getting to spend time with you.” He paused, knowing he was off-topic and rambling but unsure of how else to explain his actions to her. “Let me say all this and I promise I’ll circle back to my main point.” 

She squeezed his hand again and smiled at him encouragingly.

“When you became an intern, I tried so hard to stop myself. You were just as perfectly kind and loving as I remembered and I wanted to run to you right then. But...but there was Minthe, and my emotional baggage, and people screaming at me about your age compared to mine, and so many other factors… I convinced myself to push you away so I wouldn’t hamper your life. I’m still worried about it, honestly, but I’m selfish and I love you too much to let it stand in my way anymore. You’re the Goddess of Spring and I’m the opposite completely.” He rubbed his lip again as he breathed unevenly.

“Perhaps being opposites isn’t so terrible. Sometimes in life an opposite is what provides the very best balance.”

He gave a shuddering chuckle. “I think you’re right, Little Goddess. Still, I told you all this to say that later, when I had the letter and I couldn’t stand it anymore, I went to see the Fates. I asked them for a favor and they agreed to give me the memory I had lost to my drunken stupor the night we met.”

Persephone’s eyes flew open wide. “Wh, what does that mean exactly? Are you saying you really do remember?”

He shook his head, “No, I don’t. That’s not how this will work. I’ll be given a video recording of that meeting; it’ll be from their point-of-view. Like watching a movie scene.”

“Will be, as in you don’t yet have it?”

“I’ve not received it yet, no. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I’m not sure what I would have done with it if I got it before we talked about that night.”

Persephone laughed a little but was unsure of how to respond, and she let it show on her face. “Well, I’m not sure how I feel about actually watching the tape. I am naked in it. It was awkward part of the time, too. As for you asking the Fates for it, I can’t really be upset about that. I think if I were in your position I would do the same thing. However, I do want you to agree to not do anything like that again. If you want information, just ask me.”

Hades nodded, “That’s more than fair. I’m sorry, Kore. It was wrong of me. I should have just talked to you. It was cowardly of me.”

Persephone felt slightly irritated. “It was, yes, which is very unlike you. I understand, though. You were trying to keep me at a distance so you didn’t talk to me about it. I don’t like the sneakiness of it but I have your word you won’t repeat this?”

“You have my word. I won’t.” 

Hades sighed as she leaned over and kissed his cheek. “It’s forgiven. Now, tell me the part that I’m not going to like. That wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever been told, so I’m feeling apprehensive about what comes next. Please, just rip the bandage off and tell me. I can’t stand the suspense.” She sat back again and looked at him as he shifted in his own spot, spreading his legs and leaning forward slightly. His shoulders slumped and she began to feel queasy.

Hades took a deep breath and spoke slowly. “About forty years ago, Hera and I ended an affair we’d been having off and on for many years.”

Persephone felt like a speeding ball that had been grabbed by a child’s hand and forced to stop immediately from a high rate of travel. She had known she would likely learn upsetting facts about his past. Hades had lived and ruled for far too long not to have made countless choices he would need to share with her. “But this? This I never saw coming. Hera? Fates, she’s my aunt...” She was lost in the daze of her thoughts, trying desperately to ignore painful mental images that fought to form in her mind. Seeing them together in her mind’s eye was too much for her. She clumsily set her water down on the coffee table with a shaking hand and then covered her mouth.

Hades had gone silent. “If she hates you, let her leave now and not later. It’ll just hurt you more as time goes on.” His mind was a mixture of sensical reasoning and screaming pain. For him, watching Persephone process what he’d told her was, without a doubt, the most horrible sight he’d seen to date. She looked haunted, like she was going to be sick to her stomach. He wasn’t sure he might not be as well.

After several minutes of complete silence during which Hades could hear her taking ragged breaths, she suddenly asked, “When you say affair, what do you mean specifically?” She spoke to him very quietly and at his look of confusion, she continued. “Affairs can be emotional or physical so what—.”

“It was sex. Whenever she and Zeus were fighting or she was angry with him for one of his affairs.”

Silence fell between them again. The music playing suddenly seemed incredibly loud where moments prior it had been a gentle hum. Twin rivers of tears fell from her eyes as she stared at her hands on her crossed legs. 

Hades hoped that she would speak soon, his eyes were cast down to the ground and his hands clasped between his knees. He was paralyzed with fear as he waited for her. He thought to himself, “This was too much and too soon, Hades. She’s done with you for sure.” Then he shook himself mentally again, “No, you had to tell her now, at the very beginning. This is all or nothing with her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me a review.


	11. Window

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades and Persephone conclude their discussions and move on from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any rights to Lore Olympus. That honor goes to the talented Rachel Smythe. I don't own any rights to the song Lemons. That honor goes to Brye Sebring.
> 
> Content warning: This story deals with Persephone moving on with her life after Apollo assaults and continues to approach her. There will be discussions that allude to her assault having occurred and possibly some verbal and physical altercations about Apollo's behavior. Do not read this story if you are sensitive to this topic or fear you may be triggered by it.

Hades looked up when he heard her sniffling and beginning to move around. Her face and neck were rapidly flushing shades of magenta and she rose from her spot to stare around the room and turn her back to him. He watched as she untied her robe and fanned herself as though she was overheating. Suddenly she tugged it off and threw it into a nearby chair and then wiped at her face furiously. She turned back around and he could see that she was fighting back more tears with a great deal of effort. Her eyes were bright red and he wanted to comfort her, but knew he didn’t dare.

“Persephone, please, say something.” He was pleading, he could hear it in his own voice. He didn’t care. “Ask me anything and I’ll tell you the truth. Isn’t that what tonight is all about? Please, don’t shut me out. Talk to me.”

She cupped her hands behind her neck and walked back and forth in front of the fireplace. When she spoke, her voice broke and wavered, nearly bringing him to his knees to know that he had caused her to feel such pain. “That first time we spoke on the phone, you talked about Hera and that Zeus liked her so she ‘was off limits’ for you in the early days. Were you with her that whole time? From the very beginning? You said ‘off and on’ so does that mean over all those two thousand years?”

Hades shook his head. “No, not nearly that long. It was the last century and it wasn’t very often.”

“Were you in love with her?” she asked without emotion in her voice.

“I cared for her and still do, but no, I wasn’t in love with her. At least not in the way I am with you.” Persephone groaned and rubbed her temples, upset by that answer. “Please, let me explain.” She nodded and he continued after she sat back down, sitting as far from him as she could. Her eyes returned to normal. 

“In the early days, after I was freed, it was a very empty, lonely world. There were only the six of us and a few remaining Titans. I had been alone for so many years...inside Kronos, of course. I was badly injured when Zeus got Poseidon and me out. I hadn’t even known he was there with me. Hadn’t spoken or heard anything that whole time. When I was finally out again, I could barely talk. I had never met Zeus. I didn’t know your mother, Hestia, or Hera. It was all new to me and very frightening. Hera was kind to me. She was the only one who would talk to me and change the bandages on my skin while I was too hurt to do it myself. Everyone else was scared to come near me because of how torn apart I was and how strange I sounded trying to speak. So, yes, I felt something for her back then. I was sad and jealous of Zeus when she chose him but that faded quickly. I didn’t know what love was back then, not really. I know now, and have for a very long time, that it was friendship and caring I felt for her, not anything romantic.”

Persephone choked out a sob. “And yet you screwed her, didn’t you?”

Hades winced, hating to hear her use the word when he knew it wasn’t her normal style. “Yes. I’m not proud of it. If I could change the past I would. I would not have done that to her, to Zeus, or to myself. I certainly wouldn’t have ever touched her or any other woman for that matter, knowing that all I had to do is wait for you a little while.”

Persephone dried her eyes, growing angry again. “Don’t get cute to try and win me over about this. This is so much worse than I could have imagined.”

Hades was confused. “I’m not trying to be cute. What’s cute?”

Persephone let out an exasperated groan. “Are you saying you would actually, purposefully remain a virgin for thousands of years until you met me? All of that if you’d only known about me from the start.”

Hades stood up and moved to crouch beside her, trying to catch her gaze with his. “If I knew all I had to do was wait, I would wait forever, Kore. You’re worth more than anything else to me. Period, without question. There’s no cute game or trying to win here. No matter what happens now that you know about this, it doesn't change that.”

Persephone seemed somewhat placated by this. “Does Zeus know about this? Does Poseidon? Anyone?”

Hades shook his head slightly. “No, Hera and I agreed it would not be wise.”

“Did you spend time together like we do? Was it like dating or did you just make love?”

Hades let out a deep breath and sat down beside her. “No, it wasn’t anything like that. It was just sex. Neither of us wanted or expected anything other than just that. She’d get angry with Zeus one too many times, she’d call me and we’d meet somewhere, we’d fuck, she’d tell me why she was mad at him and I would listen, and then we’d go our separate ways. It wasn’t romantic or loving, Persephone. It was just sex. In the end, it was just depressing and degrading, honestly. That’s why I ended it. She was relieved, too. It was amicable. There are no hard feelings between us because there was never any real feeling there other than friendship to start.”

“Hades, this is really disturbing.” Persephone pulled her arms down from her neck where she realized they’d been this whole time. She was calming down and beginning to feel cold. She picked her robe up and put it on again, leaving it untied. “I can’t believe this happened. You and Hera? You seem like any other brother and sister-in-law.” 

Hades watched as she wiped the final traces of tears from her face and eyes. He was shocked she hadn’t run out of the room or the house as soon as he’d told her. “It’s completely and totally over between us, Persephone. It really and truly is. It has been for decades. It was years ago that it ended and we’ve never spoken about it until recently. When we put it behind us, we really did just burn up that chapter of our lives. Still, I wish I could change the past and erase it altogether. I meant what I said before: I would have waited for you.”

Persephone looked at him and slid a bit closer to him, still not touching him. “What do you mean you spoke about it recently?”

Hades said, “Oh, that. Well, I think it’ll make you feel better, actually...or at least I hope it does.” He held out his hands to her and she took them without hesitation, a choice that almost bowled him over. “Thank you, Persephone.” Her mouth moved into a small, angry twist but she nodded at him. “Hera explained this to me after it was all over and done with, but I was angry with her when it happened. The day Minthe hit me at work, I had an episode that Hecate couldn’t snap me out of.  
Persephone gasped loudly. “She hit you? What? When?”

Hades smiled sadly. “She would hit me when she was upset sometimes. It was more about the verbal abuse, though. Minthe had a way of saying exactly what I didn’t need to hear. We can talk about that another time if you want. The quick version is that it was very mean and nasty. It was comparing my body to Kronos’ appearance and reminding me that I was unwanted because of it.”

Persephone gasped again. “Hades, I’m so sorry she would say those things. That’s horrible! Of course you look like him, he’s your father! Thousands of other sons look the same as their fathers do, too. How hurtful to use that against you!”

Hades shrugged and continued. “Well, that day was several months ago, a few days before she and I officially broke up. Hecate saw the interaction, heard what she said, and she stepped in to stop Minthe. So did Meg. I was in a dissociative state of some sort. I literally couldn’t process or handle anything around me. Hecate couldn’t snap me out of it so she took over my meetings for the day and she called Hera because she knows we’re friends. When I came out of it, Hera had transported me to my office and we were sitting on my sofa. We talked about what happened that day, how I wanted nothing more than to be settled and happy but not with Minthe, and then Hera kissed me. I was shocked and pushed her away. I got angry with her and yelled at her actually. 

“You yelled at Hera? Queen of the Gods, Hera?”

Hades shrugged again, “Not my finest moment. Like I said, I was angry with her for it. At first she said she was upset with Zeus because they’d been fighting. Later, I drove her home and went inside to see Hebe, and that’s when you found me at their house and stayed for dinner. That night I called her and let her know that I was never going to be that escape route for her again, that I cared for her and always would, but that I didn’t want to be together that way ever again.”

Persephone rubbed her temples. “How is that meant to make me feel better, Hades?”

Hades braved a chuckle. “Because, she told me afterward that she’d kissed me as a test. She wanted to see what I would do.”

Persephone looked up at him, confused. “What does that mean? A test? And why?”

Hades laughed nervously. “Well, she is the Goddess of Marriage. I told her I wanted to be settled down and happy, that she’d been ignoring me in that department. So, she tested me to see if I really meant what I said or if I would take her up on an offer of sex, so to speak. It was her way of making sure I meant what I said or if I was still just going to bounce around from one relationship tragedy to the next like I’d been doing for thousands of years.”

Persephone considered this. “So, there was no actual intention to sleep with you? She just used it as a means to an end?”

Hades shrugged casually, “Exactly. There’s nothing there, Kore, and there never was much to begin with really. There hasn’t been in a long time and there won’t be ever again. I’ll make an oath on the--”

Persephone cut him off with a finger to his lips. “Stop, don’t you dare put yourself at Apollo’s level. Not even for this. I don’t like it, I really don’t, but it’s done and over with. As you’ve said, you can’t change the past.”

“I would if I could though. I would give anything to take this away, take all of my other relationships away, but this one in particular if I could. I’m so sorry.”

Persephone nodded to him. “I am glad you told me, Hades. It’s good to know what we’ve both been hiding. It’s ridiculous and unfair to judge for choices made long ago and certainly for the more recent ones that still occurred before we knew each other. The Fates have us together now and we have to trust that if we can. I want to, very badly.”

Hades felt his own eyes water as he listened to her. It was unfathomable to him that she had such a capacity for forgiveness and understanding. Yet, here she was, offering him both after he’d told her the worst of himself. He wasn’t ashamed to feel a tear roll down his cheek as he spoke. “I want to trust that more than I’ve ever wanted anything else in my existence. I love you, Persephone. I am yours and only yours for as long as you want me. I will remind you of that as often as you’ll allow me.”

She nodded and crawled toward him again, fresh tears clouding her vision slightly. She reached up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her inside her robe and held her to his chest. She settled into his lap and they held onto each other tightly. “Hades, I love you so much. Always be honest with me, no matter what, okay?” He nodded to her.

Hades hovered his lips just above hers, letting their shared warmth and breaths mingle for several seconds. Kissing her was new to him and he was enjoying the feeling of her in his arms after such a tortuous conversation. Still, this type of intimacy was completely new to him. With his previous partners he’d always been giving and taking as they did--just enough to satisfy; little to no emotions involved. Now, he felt ridiculous to realize he was feeling as he had as a much younger god--nervous and shaking--as he kissed her, breaking away for breaths of air every now and again. 

Persephone was reminding herself to remain calm with every second of her time with Hades. She was reacting to the slightly endless feeling of the dark night outside the house, and it was making her feel safe and daring with her actions. Kissing him was something she’d imagined and dreamed of for such a long time that she could hardly contain herself, even after such an appalling confession and discussion with him. She was relishing in the feeling of his arms, his strength, his warmth as it surrounded her, and the way they had to break away to gasp for air every so often. 

Stopping to catch her breath, she told him, “I’m tired of feeling like this, plain and simple. Is there anything else you need to tell me?”

Hades thought for a moment and said, “No, not really. I’ve had relationships but never been in love until you. That’s it for me. How about you?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m done worrying about our pasts. I want to focus on the two of us moving forward together. Are you ready for that?”

Hades nodded. “Gods, yes.” He stood and pulled her up with him, bouncing her lightly into the air before catching her and putting her on her feet. He loved the way she squealed and laughed because at one point he’d been certain he’d not have a chance to ever hear it again.

“Let’s put this food away and then go to bed. I’m exhausted.” Persephone grabbed their plates, cups, and cutlery as Hades hurried to pick up the rest. Coming back into the room, he shut off the fire and then held his hand out to her as she stifled a yawn. 

“Come on, sleepy head. I’m beat, too.” He grinned.

They walked hand in hand up the stairs and down the hallway to her guest room where they paused. “I guess this is me,” she whispered.

“Mmmhmm, I guess it is.” He kissed her slowly and ran his hands up her arms to cup her face. “Unless you don’t want it to be. You could stay with me tonight. Just to sleep, no sleazy attempts. I promise.”

“Just to sleep?” she asked. 

He smiled against her mouth. “Well, kissing too. At least until we fall asleep.” She seemed to debate the idea in her mind. “Kore, I would never ask for more than that after the night you’ve had. The alcohol alone is enough to stop me. Our conversations are doubly so.”

She nodded and smiled at him. “Lead the way.”

Hades held her hand as they walked into his bedroom. The lights were off and his curtains were drawn open to a grand view of the city. His large bed was neatly made and everything carried his signature colors. 

She asked shyly, “Hades, the bed. Is it one you’ve shared with anyone else?”

He shook his head. “No, I had this delivered after Minthe and I broke up. Only I have slept here.” She smiled at him and nodded as she continued looking around the space.

Persephone moved toward the enormous window that looked out over the Underworld. She traced the faraway outline of buildings with the tip of her finger. “It’s so beautiful. Everyday I think of fireflies in fields when I’m here. I love the lights against the dark.” He came to her back and wrapped his arms around her stomach. She looped her hands over his and they swayed there together for a few minutes. 

She turned in his arms and he met her mouth in a kiss that quickly grew fiery. Breaking apart, they smiled at each other and panted to catch their breaths. “I’m not...the words are hard to find. Part of me wants to be with you right now. More of me is scared. I’m not there yet. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for it. You don’t need to, I swear it. We can cross that bridge if and when you are ready. Sleep is all we’re here for tonight.”

Persephone sighed, “I’m glad to know that. Thank you. I don’t know what the fuss is all about, really. Sex is just painful and degrading.”

Hades looked at her in shock. “Oh, Kore. Oh, Sweetness, no. He hurt you that night, didn’t he?” He shook his head and palmed his forehead. “What am I saying, of course he hurt you!”

She nodded. “I just can’t imagine wanting to do that again.”

Hades hugged her fiercely. “Know this: Intimacy...sex, any type of physical play between a couple...when it’s done right, when it’s wanted mutually, it’s not painful for either person. It’s never supposed to be that way. I’m so, so sorry that you went through that.”

She wore a look of disbelief. “I don’t know how that can be true. I’m sorry, Hades, I know you want that. What if I never do?”

He stopped her. “Then it won’t matter. There’s much more between us than sex.” 

“I love you, Hades.” 

He bent his head to gently kiss up and down her neck. “You’re everything to me, Persephone. I love you.” 

She covered his chest with shy kisses of her own. Drawing back a bit, she pulled her robe from her shoulders and he tossed it onto a chair for her. Coming back to his chest, she pushed up his shirt and he lifted his arms to help her remove it. His pants soon followed and they joined her robe, leaving him in his dark briefs. 

They stood before one another in little more than they had worn in the hot tub, but this moment was so much more personal and intimate. 

She swallowed hard and met Hades’ eyes to see them glowing red in his dark room. He whispered, “I’ll never hurt you, Persephone. I’ll never push or force you. There’s no expectation here, nor will there ever be.” 

She smiled then. “Well, I expect the kisses I was promised in bed.”

He chuckled and pulled her backward with him until they came to the covers. He pulled them back and made himself comfortable on the opposite side from her. She didn’t hesitate and followed him to snuggled into his arms. 

She breathed in the clean smell of his skin. “Mmm, you always smell so good.”

He looked at her in surprise. “Really? I’ve been told I carry the smell of my realm’s purpose--death. You don’t think so?”

Persephone gasped and shook her head. “No, not at all. It’s one of the first things I noticed about you. “You always smell the same to me and it’s become my favorite scent in the whole world.”

He blushed at this and asked, “What do I smell like to you?”

She giggled. “It’s a very clean, crisp smell and it reminds me of a forest fire in cold winter air. It’s so uniquely you and perfect.”

Hades smiled and then caught her mouth with his and buried his fingers in her hair. They took their time kissing and holding each other. Just before five, when Olympus and the mortal realm would be bathed in the glow of sunlight, they fell asleep cuddled closely together. 

Neither was frightened awake by bad dreams and they awakened on their own at the same time late in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review my story and follow me for more updates.


	12. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades and Persephone spend the day together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any rights to Lore Olympus. That honor goes to the talented Rachel Smythe. I don't own any rights to the song Lemons. That honor goes to Brye Sebring.
> 
> Content warning: This story deals with Persephone moving on with her life after Apollo assaults and continues to approach her. There will be discussions that allude to her assault having occurred and possibly some verbal and physical altercation about Apollo's behavior. Do not read this story if you are sensitive to this topic or fear you may be triggered by it.

Hades was awakened by a tugging sensation on his bed covers. He ignored it at first as he came to awareness and recalled the previous night’s events. Thinking he’d imagined the feeling, he happily shifted to snuggle further into Persephone’s arms with a contented sigh. His reward was a set of very large teeth wrapping around his ankle nearest the end of his mattress and the feeling of drool and panting heat along with it. 

“Cerberus, no!” Hades raised his head to whisper-shout to his dog, knowing without looking that only he would be so brazen with his owner. 

Cerberus snorted and snuffled as a response with him still trapped tightly, and then pulled at Hades’ ankle, dragging him a few inches down toward the edge of the bed. “Dammit, stop that! I’ll get up and feed you!” 

Hades whipped around at the sound of Persephone’s sweet giggles and found her starting to prop herself up to see him better. “Is this a common occurrence, Hades?”

“Ha, no! It’s not usually an issue since I rarely sleep through the night. The brat doesn’t know how to handle a few hours of fasting because he’s spoiled rot--” Hades grunted as Cerberus seemed to understand his snarky comments and succeeded in dragging him to the floor unceremoniously before letting go of his foot, sneezing directly on it with obvious intent, and then sauntering away from the room.

Hades sat in his heap of blankets on the floor and looked after the dog in headshaking wonder. “Asshole! Vagrant!” He called after him and then Persephone dissolved into laughter that he couldn’t help but join.

Persephone stretched and rolled so she could reach out to him and brush his hair from his face while hanging from the side of the bed. “He may not be the most polite of dogs, but he’s very clever.”

“You know what else is clever?” Hades looked at her with relaxed happiness written all over his face. “Not cooking our own food this morning and going out for breakfast. What do you say?”

Persephone smiled at him. “Mmm, somewhere with bread products, please!”

“As the lady commands,” he chuckled before standing up. 

They work together to make the bed up neatly. “Hades...” Persephone realized she was feeling somewhat shy, even though she’d spent the night with him in his bed, kissed him for hours, and shared the most private details of herself with him. He patiently waited for her to speak to him. “Hades, I, last night...that was the best night of my life. I know it wasn’t the type of intimacy most couples share… But, to me, at least, it was much more than that.”

He smiled and crossed over to her so he could wrap her in his arms. “Persephone, I know exactly what you mean. What we talked about together, what we were honest about, it was a type of trust I’ve never experienced with another being in my existence. Falling asleep with you, loving with you in our own way, that was perfect. It was intimate and I wouldn’t change that even if I could.”

She nodded several times and they kissed again and again sweetly, sharing gentle touches and sighs. She laughed out loud when Cerberus came to the door and barked at them, startling them apart. 

“I’ll go get dressed in whatever Eros packed for me in that bag. Be kind when I come downstairs if I look ridiculous.” He chuckled and held up his hands in mock surrender as she left his room. 

Hades rushed to dress casually for their Sunday together: jeans, his favorite collared pullover, a field jacket, and slip on sneakers. He brushed his teeth and hair before hurrying to let his dogs outside to run. Little Meli had already had an accident so he cleaned that up quickly and made sure to give her a treat when she went again outside. He made short work of filling food bowls and water dishes so he was just finishing up as Persephone came downstairs.

She had become instantly irritated with Eros for leaving her with the dress he’d chosen. Yes, it was very stylish and attractive on her, and she loved the heeled sandals that he’d packed with it. The problem was that it was the perfect cut and fabric weight to wear on a warm day in Olympus, but certainly not for a chilly day in the Underworld. Her fur coat looked silly with it. The wrap she’d brought for her gala dress looked even worse. She decided to simply pretend it wasn’t an issue for her and hoped Hades wouldn’t ask about it.

When she came downstairs, she was embarrassed and immediately envious of his cozy looking layers of clothing. She did enjoy silently ogling him as he finished feeding his dogs, though. “Gods, that man can wear a pair of pants…”

“Hello, Sweetness! You look lovely! Oh. Um, er...are you going to be warm enough in that?” He looked excited and concerned at the same time, yet hesitant to comment much on her clothing. “We can stay here instead if not.”

“Oh, it’ll be great! I love the cold weather.”

He eyed her suspiciously. “Since when, Spring Goddess?”

Persephone crossed her arms. “Hey, people can grow and change.” She winked at him and he rolled his eyes at her playfully. 

“Kore, you are many things. A skilled liar is not one of them.” He went to a closet and produced his trenchcoat for her. She’d seen him wearing it the week prior when it rained and it hit him near his knees. For her, it was ankle length. “Will you wear this so I don’t worry you’ll be freezing? I’ll roll the sleeves up for you.”

She nodded and he helped her get comfortable in it before letting his dogs back into the house. “Hello, sweet babies!” Persephone cooed and petted all of them in turn and then they left for the garage together. 

Hades drove them to a small eatery in the middle of the downtown area. She had not seen it look so quiet in that area of town, so close to Underworld Corp, and it was new and exciting in a way. Inside the little corner restaurant, they sat beside a roaring fireplace. She smirked at him. “Be honest, would we have come here if it weren’t for this dress situation?”

Hades melodramatically raised his menu and perused it before looking at her to answer. “Oh, most definitely. The cozy room or ambient heat of the fire wasn’t a consideration given how much you” he cleared his throat and gave his best impression of a soprano voice, “love the cold!” 

He pulled his menu back up to his face slowly and she couldn’t keep herself from laughing in delight. He lowered the menu with finality and joined her. “Of course I picked it this morning for warmth, however, it is a favorite place of mine. The food is always great, I promise.”

A waiter came to the table and Persephone was happy to note that he didn’t seem nervous around his king. It was obvious that Hades did indeed come there often for that to happen. The normalcy of the moment had her head-over-heels with the place right away. “Today’s special is a house-made cinnamon roll with eggs and bacon. Are you ready to order or would you like a minute?”

Hades spoke up, “I know what I want, how about you?”

She nodded eagerly and he motioned for her to continue. “I’ll have the special but I’m vegetarian. Can you do something other than the bacon? Maybe fruit?” The waiter nodded and she continued. “I’ll also have bergamot tea, please.” 

Hades smiled and ordered, “Coffee and a three-egg, spinach, ham, and cheese omelette for me with sourdough toast.”

Persephone hummed and looked at him with her eyes crinkled slightly. “Actually, I’d like to keep the order of bacon for my plate, no fruit.” She turned to the waiter again and smiled, “Please.” He stepped away and left them to talk.

Hades leaned forward and tapped his chin. “Braver and braver, Little Goddess. It’s not even Friday night yet and you’re ready to try pork. Very bold of you.”

She wiggled in delight at the prospect of trying meat for the first time. “What does bacon taste like, Hades?”

“It’s warm and salty but has a smoky flavor that is distinct and very appealing. Some beings like it cooked to where it’s still movable and floppy and others like it crisp and solid, while others like it practically burnt, and then there’s another consideration about getting thick cuts of bacon or thin slices. It’s just a personal preference like the ripeness of fruit or having the skin on or off it. You’ll get crispy bacon here, cut thick. That’s how I personally enjoy it the most, but you may or may not agree with me.”

Persephone nodded with interest but then laughed lightly. “I never knew so much thought went into cooking animal parts.” She bit her nail nervously. “I don’t know if that makes me feel better about this or worse somehow.”

Hades chuckled, “Well, my guess is that you’ll feel better about it once that salty, crispy deliciousness hits your tongue.” He winked at her and she smiled in return.

Their drinks came to the table and they chatted about the gala together and what they hoped the week would bring at work. Hades snorted, “I just want one week wherein Thanatos doesn’t whine to me about something, mainly a larger salary for work he never does.”

Persephone giggled and then grew more serious. “I want to have a good week at school. I’ve been on edge lately and it’s been showing in my grades. One of my professors noticed and tried to ask me about it, actually. I’m amazed at how much better I feel today than how I did a week ago. Sharing all of that, it’s like we said this morning, it meant everything.”

They smiled and held their hands on top of the table as they drank. Their food arrived and Persephone decided to ignore the meat on her plate to dive into the steaming cinnamon roll in front of her. “Oh Fates! That’s positively sinful!” She groaned happily and laughed as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. 

Hades adjusted his shirt collar and whispered, “Who knew I would ever be jealous of a pastry?”

She laughed again and he smiled with her. “Ready for the bacon?”

Persephone nodded and sat up in her chair. She picked up a slice of the bacon and noticed it was hard but not black or burnt looking. She held it up and said, “Crispy bacon test, here I go!” She sniffed it briefly and then took a bite, having to use just a little force from her teeth to get a mouthful. As she chewed, Hades watched her intently and chewed a bite of his own slice. Flavor exploded in her mouth, salty and smoky as he’d said it would be.

“Umm, okay. Okay.” She nodded her head a few times and then took another bite, trying to decide what to say about it. “Yup, that’s delicious. There’s no coming back from this. I love bacon.” 

Hades threw back his head and laughed. “What a loss to the vegetarian community!” 

They teased and talked throughout the rest of their meal together and then left for Hades’ car. Once inside, Persephone turned up the heat on her side of the car, much to Hades’ own heartache. “How about we go do some shopping? I know you’re not actually warm enough in that dress, lovely on you though it is.”

“Oh, I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” She giggled and then settled his borrowed coat into place around her more snuggly. 

Hades didn’t want to embarrass her but figured she must be worried about the cost of clothing given her new situation change. “As my guest, I would consider it an insult to my honor if you refused my offer of hospitality.” 

Persephone gasped and moved her head toward his. “Hades, we can go home and i’ll be fine there with a blanket. It’s not a big deal.”

“Ouch,” He put a hand to his heart. “There it is. Cuts deep. I can’t take care of the woman I love when she’s a guest in my home, my realm.”

“Oh. My. Gods. Are you serious with this little display?” Persephone wasn’t sure if she was flattered or annoyed.

He wore a sneaky expression. “Yeah, I can be a really big pain in the ass sometimes. Are you ready to go shopping now, Sweetness?” She looked at him and tried to be angry but finally gave up.

“I’m going to say yes to this, but with conditions.” He smiled and nodded as though he had been expecting this from her. “I don’t want you to take me to expensive places or try to buy out a store for me, okay? I’m sure a few days from now I can get back to Artemis’ house for my own things. I have pajamas and you have a laundry room. I don’t need much.”

Hades was thinking through the loopholes he could easily find in the words expensive places and need much--quality clothes started in the hundreds of drachma but easily went into the thousands, but diamonds could be worth millions and a few of each basic wardrobe item wasn’t much at all compared to that cost. “Yes,” he thought, “I’m going to get away with this!” 

He smiled and spoke reassuringly, “Of course, Persephone, you have my promise not to go overboard and be completely unreasonable.”

She eyed him with intelligence. “Hades,” she drawled out, “Don’t make me regret this with your sneaky manner of thinking.”

“Alright, I won’t make you regret this. That’ll be up to you entirely.” With that, he sped off into the light traffic and soon they pulled into a parking space of an unassuming looking building. He smiled and said, “Here’s a great place to not become completely unreasonable.”

They exited the car and Hades rang a buzzer by the door while holding her hand. After stating that he needed assistance with a woman’s wardrobe essentials and giving his name, he was buzzed in and three staff members greeted them at the door almost instantly. “Oh, sugar snaps!” Persephone muttered under her breath and Hades chuckled at her.

The beings helping them asked about what was needed and Persephone shyly said that she was unexpectedly in town for a few days and without luggage of any sort. They took this and ran with it, splitting up their duties by store sections. 

Persephone and Hades were brought through the lovely interior of the building, bright and colorful with plush decor everywhere, and seated comfortably with coffee and tea. No sooner had they begun sipping their drinks than Persepone was whisked into a fitting room and being measured and fitted with new undergarments, all of which felt like heaven against her skin and were too beautiful to imagine existing. 

Bras, panties, garter belts, and stockings for work and formal wear. Bras and panties for casual days and weekends. They talked her into buying loungewear instead of just having pajamas, which she found she liked the idea of for practicality. They also asked her to pick a new robe for the cooler climate of the Underworld and a second set of pajamas and a gown she liked. In the end, it was difficult to choose which one of each type of everything to buy, so she went with the staff member’s suggestion to pick a final one from her favorite three from each category. Satisfied, she left the dressing room after slipping her clothes back on.

Later she was fitted for ankle and calf boots while sitting beside Hades. Once again she was having trouble choosing from the array of colors and styles available in what fit her well. Hades suggested she narrow it down to three options and pick from those for each style. 

She agreed with a laugh, “Oh, they taught you that method, too, huh?” 

He smiled and chuckled with her and they continued their shopping. Next came work shoes, casual shoes, house shoes, and tennis shoes. The same method worked for her to pick this time around as it had before. It wasn’t any less challenging to pick out socks for the boots, though, and Hades chuckled at her nervousness.

“Persephone, love, they’re just socks. Pick out what you like.” 

“Okay, okay, I know! I dislike clothing shopping. I’ve only gone a few times in my life and it seems so stressful to me.”

He nodded and quietly basked in the unassuming gentleness of the goddess in front of him. No other woman he’d ever been with, for any length of time, had hesitated even once to spend his money on themselves. Yet, here he was, getting away with secretly having everything she liked packed away and prepped for delivery to his house for her. It was more refreshing than anything he could imagine. 

She was shown a selection of casual, work, and dress coats, but Persephone balked at the idea of needing so many all at once. The staff member left to find scarves, hats, and gloves for her to look over with the coats.

“Oh, I don’t think I need that many. I just go to and from work for the most part. Maybe just the casual one for today and then I can get my work coat from Artemis’ house.” Hades listened and then pointed out, “Well, let me give this part to you as a special gift. Remember that you’re moving to the Underworld now. You’re going to have lots of coats because you’ll need one each time you go outside, no matter the time of day.”

“Ah, that’s true.” Persephone seemed sad for just a moment and then brightened again. She reached over to thread her fingers with his. “Thank you, Hades, I accept your gift. Think how warm I’ll be anytime you want to snuggle.” He grinned at her widely.

When the helper returned, Persephone easily picked out her favorites and then whittled them down to one of each, found matching accessories, and returned to sit with Hades just as clothing was being brought to them on racks sorted by occasions. 

She was taken to the fitting room to try everything on with the help of a nymph named Pistis, who made the process lightning fast and easy for her. Thirty minutes after entering the room, she exited, and the racks were holding only what had fit her well and she had liked. 

“My lady,” asked Pistis, “Would you like us to put together some outfits for you that we think work nicely or would you like to choose them yourself?”

“Oh,” Persephone said, unsure. She looked to Hades for advice but he shrugged and looked innocent.

“That’s up to you, Kore. I’ve done it both ways. They always do great work, though. Sort of pushes you into new ideas, I suppose.”

Persephone thought this was an odd thing for him to say but she let it go, deciding she liked the idea of not having to guess at what she should be wearing in the Underworld. “Afterall,” she thought, “a lot of people seem to dislike my dresses that Eros helped me pick out. I bet I learn better this way than I would on my own.”

Hades spoke up after she’d made her choice, asking her to personally pick out two evening dresses for events he had been invited to that would be coming up in the following weeks. She agreed since he was asking her to attend with him, and then made her selections. Dress shoes followed along with purses that complimented the gowns very nicely. 

Hades could tell Persephone was running on fumes as they approached the jewelry section. “How about I have them send some pieces over to look at before we go to the events? We don’t have to do this today. How about lunch and then home for a nap? We had a late night.”

She breathed a sigh of relief and hugged him gently and quickly. “Sounds perfect.”

“What sounds appetizing?”

She aimed a pointed look at him and then let her eyes rove up and down his body. “Hmmmm…”

“Little Goddess, you will be the death of me.” Hades chuckled. “Hot food or cold food? Let’s start there.”

“Hot for sure.”

“Soup and salad? Sandwiches? Asian fusion? Pasta?”

“Soup and salad sounds good to me.” 

“Alright, there we go. We can walk from here to a place I know. It will just be a few minutes if you want to change into something warmer. She nodded and Pistis soon had her in and out of a dressing room. She was wearing a black sweater with dark jeans and a pair of gray ankle boots along with her new casual, silver coat and gloves. Hades was tucking his wallet back into his pocket and he smiled broadly when he saw her.

“Well, now you have a fighting chance of actually enjoying the cold weather, Kore. You look lovely, by the way. I like you in black.” 

She smiled at him and came to his side. “Thank you so much for doing this, Hades. I’m embarrassed to say it but I really was very cold.” 

His smile was weak but he pushed through it. “I could tell and it was breaking me. Thank you for letting me do this for you.” He took a breath and held out his arm for her with a genuine look of happiness on his face. “Now, how about lunch?” She nodded and they left the store after giving their exuberant thanks to the staff. 

They ordered their soups and salads and were served quickly, along with their drinks. They both took several bites before talking, each sensing that the next step in the conversation wouldn’t be as carefree as shopping had been.

Hades asked gently. “I’m sorry to bring this up given how fun the morning has been, but we need to talk. We have to decide where to move your belongings to until you have a new home. Do you know what you want to do next? I’m sorry to pry into your private matters but I want to be of help if I can be.”

Persephone nodded, feeling a little awkward and unsure of why. She wasn’t upset with him for trying to help her sort out this unexpected mess but she realized it did embarrass her that she needed help at all. 

Before she could answer him, he surprised her by rushing out with, “You’re welcome to stay with me permanently, you know. I have plenty of rooms.” 

She blinked at him in shock, unable to fully process that offer from her boyfriend of roughly twenty four hours. She cleared her throat. “I’m actually going with Hecate tomorrow morning to look at apartments. She said you own some and told me about the employee discount I could take advantage of if I lived in one of them. That’s exactly what I need right now so I can finish the semester and pay back the scholarship with the internship salary.” She took a big bite of her salad and chewed while staring at him.

Hades nodded, glad that Hecate was able to help her with this area, but also feeling like a moron for pushing her too hard so fast. “Okay, so housing is all but sorted out, that’s good. School is paid for this semester with the internship. Don’t forget that you can work full time for the company if you’re interested in that. What else? Oh, groceries are simple enough for a mostly-vegetarian Goddess of Spring.” He smiled at her snort of laughter, grateful that he’d not scared her completely away. “What about electric, gas, water, trash, and sewage bills? And what furnishings do you need?”

Persephone began to look nervous and she traced the edge of her soup bowl with her spoon as she spoke. “I guess all of that is on me now, isn’t it? Um, is that expensive in an apartment for one person? I mean, how many towels and loads of laundry can I need by myself?” 

Hades shrugged. “Not much, really. The buildings are all new within the last handful of years and made well so they’re energy efficient. I was just trying to gauge if you had thought about a budget yet. There’s no reason to worry, we can figure this out together.” He reached across and brushed his fingers on the back of her hand before returning to his meal.

She nodded and sighed. “I had a budget up until last night. Now that’s out the window. “I can still use it as a basis for the new one, though. I just need my notebook with my other things.”

Hades continued to eat as he listened to her, not wanting to seem too overbearing by jumping at her with questions again. “Or creepy offers, idiot!” he scolded himself. 

When she finished, he thought it over and offered a solution. “How does this sound: you stay with me as a guest in my house until you’re settled in at your new apartment? Hecate is taking you to pick a building tomorrow but it’ll likely take a few days to have your apartment move-in ready. Plus, you’ll need time for shopping, deliveries, and getting settled.”

She nodded and then looked at him with her head bent to one side slightly. “I’m okay with that as long as it’s understood that I’m not expecting you to take care of me financially. I feel like that’s what happened this morning already with the clothes.” She looked down and smoothed her sweater. 

He tried and failed to waive her worries away. “I couldn’t have you running around being cold in my realm, Persephone. I love you, please don’t hold that care against me.” His face was a mixture of panic and attempted comfort. “Plus, you needed different things for different reasons. You can’t wear the same things for school and errands as you do for work. That’s just life.”

She felt so grateful for his gift but also embarrassed again since she knew he’d done too much for her. “I am very grateful for the wardrobe, I am. It was loving, generous, and extremely appreciated.”

Hades sucked in a quiet breath and leaned toward her across the table. “Unfortunately, I’m sensing a missing contraction in your statement.”

She smiled at him briefly and said, “But.” He shifted with nervous energy and she felt horrible for it. “But, I just needed a few things and I let myself get swept up in the energy of it all. I feel like this could easily be interpreted as me taking a gift from you in exchange for something. I don’t want that to be us. Ever.” 

Hades’ shoulders slumped and he reached his hand out to her, grateful that she took it. He could see her cheeks flushing, her eyes growing misty, and suddenly he wanted to filet himself for dinner. 

“I never once thought of it in that way. I promise you, Kore. I simply wanted to get you some clothes that would help make things easier on you this week. We don’t know when we’ll be able to get into Artemis’ house, especially with your mother threatening to take you back to the mortal realm. I heard what you said last night about quality time and gifts. That meant the world to me, and I won’t be treading over that part of us anytime soon. Please, accept the clothes at face value, because that’s all I meant them to be for you. They aren’t a sign of anything but that.”

Persephone sniffed and nodded her head before squeezing his hand. “Alright, I do accept them and I thank you for them.” She paused and then asked, “Are you upset with me for not wanting to live with you right away?”

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck as he blushed. “No, no, I agree that your idea to live in your own home is best. As much as I would like you to stay with me from this moment forward, I get it. You need your space and I need mine. This is new--really new--and we need that separation while we figure out what we’re doing together.”

“Yes, exactly.” She paused and he looked at her calmly. “May I still stay with you at night sometimes?”

Hades moved to hold her hands in his. “Anytime, as often as you’d like, for as long as you’d like to stay. No strings attached at all, ever.”

She cleared her throat and fanned herself with her jacket. “I like that idea very much.”

“As do I,” he whispered. 

They finished eating and then strolled back to the car together. “How about we do this: let’s go home, rest up, and then we’ll go to Artemis’ house and try to get your belongings. We could have Hermes join us tonight when you know she’ll be gone to the mortal realm. If we get lucky enough to get inside, we can store everything in your guest room or in any room in the house for that matter. What do you say?” 

“I say, yes, please. Hermes is a friend and I think he’ll remain quiet about me staying with you at your house if I ask him not to gossip about it.” She smiled at Hades.

Hades wasn’t sure if he believed Hermes was mentally capable of keeping a secret but he didn’t really mind either way. “Excellent! Let’s get home, let the dogs out again, and then take a long nap. I’ll even lock the door this time so no dogs come in to yank us onto the floor.”

They laughed together as they buckled into their seats and sped away toward the house. Persephone smiled over at him and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt drowsy and the warm soup filling her stomach was pulling her into sleep by the time they pulled into the front driveway and parked beside an unmarked van. 

Curious, Persephone perked up and joined Hades as he stood outside the back doors of the vehicle, using an app on his phone to unlock the front doors of his house. Two nymphs exited the doors and began bringing in multiple clothing bags and boxes of shoes. Hades directed them to Persephone’s guest room closet and they hung everything up for her after several repeat trips. 

As she and Hades waited for the dogs to wear themselves out from playing outside, it became very obvious to Persephone that he’d not been following the “pick your favorite from three” rule at the store. There was simply too much there otherwise. 

Standing in her room beside him after the women had left for the last time and the dogs had settled down on the ground floor, she eyed him suspiciously and drawled out, “Hades, what did you do?”

He snickered and said, “Well, I may have been slightly dishonest by omitting some truths at the store.”

Persephone rolled her eyes and melodramatically gasped before asking, “No, wow, don’t tell me! You bought all the clothes that fit me!”

Hades nodded. “And the other stuff, too. It’s all in there. Consider it the birthday present I wasn’t allowed to get you before because you were my intern. Now you’re my girlfriend and I love you. I have to be allowed some spoiling privileges. Otherwise, what else am I good for?”

She playfully batted at his chest. “So many, many other things, Hades.” She shook her head at him and then tsked before reaching up to kiss him. “Thank you for everything you bought for me today. It is nice to be spoiled, but don’t make a habit out of it, okay?”

He held up his hand as though taking an oath, “You have my word.”

She eyed him fiercely again. “Sixty percent at least.”

He laughed and pulled her to the closet door, holding it open for her to enter ahead of him. The walk-in was filled with all manner of clothing where it had been almost bare that morning. She gasped and stopped her steps to ask him, “Was one of those truths you omitted that the ‘pick one from your favorite three’ was a way to figure out my favorites and buy them all anyway?” The only response she got was him humming to himself from the doorway. “Clearly that was a yes,” she thought to herself.

From left to right, her sleepwear and most casual items were followed by increasingly business-like and then formal outfits and coats, all complete with accessories that went well together. In the center of the space was a set of drawers. Opening them, she found several pairs of the intimate sets she’d tried on that morning, as well as the basic bras, panties, and socks. More drawers were opened to reveal all sorts of prints and fabrics. 

“Hades, I…” she looked at him and he seemed very nervous about what she was planning to say next. Deciding to not rehash the argument again, she smiled and rose up to kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you, this is the most amazing gift I’ve ever been given. I love it.”

He sighed and relaxed his shoulders. “I’m glad you like it, Little Goddess. Happy belated birthday. You feel free to explore if you’d like. I’m heading to bed.” He yawned then and caused her to do the same, ending with them both smiling at the other. 

Persephone asked softly, “Where should I...Do you want to be alone?”

Hades shook his head just a bit. “I will always want to be nearest you, Persephone. Don’t ever doubt that. If you want space, I won’t argue with you about it. No guilt, no expectations--remember?”

Persephone smiled and nodded to him, and blooms just his shade of blue sprouted in her hair. “I’ll be right there to join you, then.”

Hades stepped out of the closet and she heard him make his way down the hallway to his room. She looked over the clothing section by section for just a minute or two and was delighted by everything she saw. It did feel wonderful to know that she had this part of her needs taken care of when everything else was uncertain at the moment. 

Looking at the last section of the closet, Persephone found all sorts of soft cotton and silky pajamas and nightgowns. Seeing a knee-length black nightgown that was made to look like a pajama top, she changed into it from her warm clothes and slid on her new slippers. The silky fabric slid down one shoulder right away and it left her feeling sexy. Feeling confident with her look and certain that Hades would know it was one he’d bought her that day, she set off down the hallway to join him in his room. 

The door was open and she could see him sitting in a chair as he waited for her. He was wearing just his briefs and robe, so she was able to enjoy the sight of his muscles working under his skin as he stood to greet her. “Oh, Goddess. Fates, help me.” He smiled and kissed her eagerly when he was close enough to her. She laughed and snuggled into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her for a hug. “Let’s go to bed.”

She looked around, checking for any sign of Cerberus. Hades snickered, “He’s downstairs. I told him I needed his help to keep the others in line and he takes that very seriously. We’re good. Even so…” He reached behind her to shut the door with the lock engaged. Pulling himself back to her, he leaned down and scooped her up into his arms. She squealed and laughed as he brought her to the foot of the bed and then let her bounce down on it lightly. He pulled the covers down for them and then shrugged off his robe before sliding into his spot and pulling her to him with an arm around her waist. She laughed again at his antics but quickly settled against his chest so she could easily caress his face. He bent his legs slightly and she wrapped hers in with them so they were snuggled tightly together. 

After pulling the covers up around them, they kissed and touched each other lightly until they fell asleep.


	13. Treat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persephone prepares a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive my absence. I’m a teacher, wife, and mom during COVID-19 so my professional and personal lives have taken the front seat lately. I’ll be back with more soon but here’s a little fluff to say hello again. Thank you for reading!

Persephone awakened before Hades, stretching and sighing with contentment at the warmth that surrounded her. Almost without thinking, she stretched out a band to ghost along the lines of his shoulders and back, so close she could feel the warmth coming off of him without touching, not having the heart to pull him from his dreams. Easing away gingerly, she noted the time on his watch where it rested near them on his bedside table. 

“Sugar snaps!” she thought to herself, “We’ve been out for over three hours!” Looking to her boyfriend where he was pressed against her side, Hades was showing no sign of opening his eyes anytime soon--if his position on his stomach and the sleep-heavy arm around her waist were any indication. 

“I love you,” she whispered in his ear as she kissed him softly. As carefully as she could, she pulled away from him and slid to the floor beside the bed to avoid jostling him. He didn’t move a muscle and she noted that his breathing remained slow and even. 

Deciding it would be a fun surprise for him to awaken to a treat, she headed downstairs to the kitchen. As soon as she had eased open the bedroom door, she was met with cold noses and wagging tails. Giggling and whispering to them, she led the way downstairs and let them outside to run and play for a bit. 

Smiling at the luxurious feeling of her warm slippers on the flooring, Persephone began opening cabinets and familiarizing herself with Hades’ pantry and refrigerator. Tapping her chin as she floated up to survey the highest shelves, she mulled over her options from what she had found. 

“Hades, I think you don’t bake much…” she mused to herself quietly with a giggle. Finding several oranges, sugar, flour, and cinnamon, she began to zero in on a plan. “I wonder…” She walked around the rooms until she found his stock of liquors and was pleased to locate brandy. “Ah hah!” Persephone extracted the bottle from its spot and hurried back to the kitchen to begin putting together melomakarona cookies. She doubted Hades had been eating them often, if ever, and she was anxious to see his reaction.


End file.
